tihvaxy  of t:he  t:heologf  cal  ^eminarjp 

PRINCETON    .   NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

The 

A.B.C.F.M. 
1879 


BV  3160  .A6  1872  v. 2 
Anderson,  Ruf us ,  1796-1880 
History  of  the  missions  of 
the  American  Board  of 


lUeguBlication  of  tlje  <6o^ijd  in  ^Mt  Hantiief* 

HISTORY 

OP 

THE  MISSIONS 


AMERICAN    BOARD    OF    COMMISSIONERS 
FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 


RUFUS  ANDERSON,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 

LATE  FOREIGN  SECKETAKY  OF  THE  BOARD. 

IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 
VOL.    II. 


BOSTON: 

CONGREGATIONAL  PUBLISfflNG  SOCIETY. 

1872. 


Entered  accordhig  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872,  by 

THE    AMERICAN    BOARD    OF    COMMISSIONERS    FOR    FOREIGN    MISSIONS, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


RITKRSIBE,    OAUBRIDOI: 

STEREOTYPED     ANB     PRINTED 

H.    0.    HOUGUTON   ANH   COMPANY. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
The  Armenians.  — 1846-1855. 

Agency  of  Sir  Stratford  Canning.  —  Of  Lord  Cowley.  —  Lord 
Palmerstou's  Instructions.  —  Action  of  the  Porte.  —  The  Chev- 
alier Bunsen.  —  A  Vizerial  Letter.  —  Further  Concessions.  — 
The  Firman.  —  Good  Counsel  from  Sir  Stratford  to  the  Prot- 
estants. —  Dilatoriness  of  the  Turkish  Government.  —  Still 
another  Concession  by  the  Sultan.  —  Agency  of  the  American 
Minister.  —  Greatness  of  the  Changes.  —  The  Divine  Agency 
recognized.  —  The  Danger.  —  Why  Persecution  was  con- 
tinued.— New  Missionaries. —  Pera  again  ravaged  by  Fire. — 
The  Aintab  Station.  —  Native  Zeal  for  the  Spread  of  the 
Gospel. — Activity  of  the  Mission. —  The  Patriarch   deposed. 

—  Native  Pastors.  —  Death  of  Mrs.  Hamlin.  —  Death  and 
Character  of  Dr.  Azariah  Smith. — Mr.  Dunmore  joins  the 
Mission.  —  Removal  into  Old  Constantinople.  —  The  First  Ec- 
clesiastical Council.  —  The  Gospel  introduced  into  Marsovan. 

—  Visited  by  Mr.  E.  E.  Bliss.  — A  Persecution  that  was  needed. 

—  Unexpected  Relief.  —  Changes  in  the  Mission.  —  Missions 
by  Native  Pastors.  —  Death  of  Mrs.  Everett.  —  Death  of  Mr. 
Benjamin 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
The  Armenians.  — 1855-1860. 

The  Crimean  War  subservient  to  the  Gospel.  —  Its  Origin. — 
Providential  Interposition.  —  Probable  Consequences  of  Rus- 
sian Success.  —  Effect  of  the  Fall  of  Sebastopol.  —  The  Mis- 
sion in  1855.  —  Schools.  —  Church  Organization.  —  Church 
Building.  —  The  Printing.  —  Editions  of  the  Scriptures.  —  The 


vi  CONTENTS. 

Book  Depository.  —  Aid  from  Abroad.  —  Greek  Students  in 
Theology.  —  Licentiates.  —  Accession  of  Missionaries.  —  Death 
of  Mr.  Everett.  —  Miscellaneous  Notices.  —  Kenewed  Agitation 
about  the  Death  Penalty.  —  The  Hatti  Humaioun.  —  How  re- 
garded by  the  English  Ambassador.  —  Includes  the  Death  Pen- 
alty. —  Is  recognized  in  the  Treaty  of  Paris.  —  How  estimated 
by  the  Missionaries.  —  Indications  of  Progress.  —  Aintab.  — 
Death  of  Mrs.  Schneider.  —  Girls'  School  at  Constantinople. 

—  Seminary  at  Bebek.  —  Division  of  the  Mission.  —  Turkish 
Missions  Aid  Society.  —  Visit  of  Dr.  Dwight  to  England.  — 
A  Remarkable  Convert.  —  Death  of  the  second  Mrs.  Hamlin.  — 
Arabkir.  —  Sivas  and  Tocat.  —  Harpoot.  —  Geghi.  —  Revivals 
of  Religion.  —  Girls'  School  at  Nicomedia.  —  Fire  at  Tocat.  — 
Mr.  Dunmore's  Explorations.  —  Church  at  Cesarea.  —  A  for- 
mer Persecutor  made  Catholicos.  —  Death  of  Mrs.  Beebee  .     .    24 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

The  Armenians.  — 1860-1861. 

A  Result  of  the  Crimean  War.  —  Religious  Opinion  in  Constan- 
tinople. —  Change  at  Rodosto.  —  Outbreak  at  the  Metropolis. 

—  A  Remarkable  Native  Helper.  —  Great  Change  in  Mar- 
sovan.  —  Changes  elsewhere.  —  Telegraphic  Communication. — 
The  Mission  further  divided.  —  First  Native  Pastor  at  Har- 
poot.—  Rise  of  the  Station— Dr.  Dwight's  Second  Tour  in 
the  East.  —  Changes  since  the  First  Tour.  —  Triumph  of  the 
Gospel  at  Marash.  —  Tribute  to  the  Wives  of  Missionaries.  — 
Change  at  Diarbekir.  —  Decline  of  Turkish  Population.  — 
Death  and  Character  of  Mr.  Dunmore.  —  The  Missionary 
Force. —  Training  School  at  Mardin. —  Other  Portions  of  the 
Field.  —  Scripture  Translations.  —  Publications     .....     59 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
The  Assyria  Mission. —  1849-1860. 
Origin  of  the  Mission.  —  Mosul  reoccupied.  —  Why  it  had  been 
relinquished.  —  Proposed  American  Episcopal  Mission.  —  The 
Mission  of  the  Board  reinforced.  —  Dr.  Bacon's  Experience 


CONTENTS.  vii 

in   the   Koordish   Mountains.  —  Punishment  of  the  Eobbers. 

—  How  the  Gospel  came  to  Diarbekir.  —  Church  organized.  — 
Arrival  of  Mr.  Dunmore.  —  Tomas.  —  Persecutions.  —  Mr. 
Marsh's  Visit  to  Mardin.  —  Dr.  Lobdell's  Experience  at  Ain- 
tab  and  Oorfa.  —  Outrage  at  Diarbekir.  —  Descent  of  the 
Tigris.  —  Diarbekir  a  Year  later.  —  Congregational  Singing  at 
Mosul.  —  Dr.  Lobdell  as  a  Medical  Missionary.  —  The  Yazi- 
dees.  —  Dr.  Lobdell's  Visit  to  Oroomiah.  —  His  Views  of  the 
Ecclesiastical  Policy  of  the  Mission.  —  Keturn  to  Mosul.  — 
The  Church  at  Diarbekir  reorganized.  —  Strength  out  of 
"Weakness.  —  Native  Preacher  at  Haine.  —  The  Gospel  at  Cut- 
terbul.  —  Relief  at  Mosul.  —  A  Special  Danger  growing  out  of 
the  Crimean  War.  —  Excessive  Heat.  —  Death  of  Mrs.  Wil- 
liams. —  Dr.  Lobdell  visits  Bagdad.  —  His  Sickness,  Death, 
and  Character.  —  Religious  Services  at  Diarbekir.  —  The  Gos- 
pels in  Koordish.  —  New  Station  at  Mardin.  —  Remarkable 
Case  of  Conversion.  —  New  Station  at  Bitlis.  —  Death  of  Mrs. 
Marsh.  —  Return  of  Mrs.  Lobdell  with  Mr.  Marsh.  —  Difficul- 
ties in  the  way  of  occupying  Mosul.  —  Great  Prosperity  at  Di- 
arbekir. —  Close  of  the  Assyria  Mission 78 

CHAPTER  XXVin. 

The  Nestorians.  — 1851-1857. 

Mr.  Stoddard's  Reception  on  his  Return.  —  Death  of  Judith  Per- 
kins.—  Progress  in  the  Mountains.  —  Progress  on  the  Plain. — 
The  Seminaries.  —  A  suggestive  Case  of  Native  Piety.  —  Scenes 
on  a  Tour.  —  Nazee,  a  Christian  Girl,  at  her  Mountain  Home. 

—  Elevations  of  Places. — A  Russian  Friend.  —  Mr.  Stock- 
ing's Return  Home.  —  A  Robbery.  —  Another  Revival.  —  Sem- 
inary Graduates.  —  Extraordinary  Enthusiasm.  —  Books.  — 
Death  of  Mr.  Crane.  —  Audacity  of  Papal  Missionaries. — 
English  and  Russian  Protection.  —  Mr.  Cochran  at  Kosrova. 

—  Matter  of  Church  Organization.  —  Death  of  Deacon  Guwer- 
gis.  —  Hostility  of  the  Persian  Government.  —  A  new  Revival. 

—  Gawar  vacated  for  a  time.  —  Discomfiture  of  the  Enemy.  — 
The  Lord  a  Protector.  —  The  Monthly  Concert.  —  Mountain 


viii  CONTENTS. 

Tours.  —  Search  for  a  Western  Station.  —  An  Interesting 
Event.  —  Violence  of  Goverament  Agents.  —  How  these  Agents 
were  removed  out  of  the  Way .    .  :  07 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
The  Nbstoeians.  — 1857-1863. 
Death  of  Mr.  Stoddard.  —  His  Character.  —  Death  of  his  Daugh- 
ter. —  Retrospective  View.  —  Death  of  Mrs.  Rhea.  —  Decisive 
Indication  of  Progress.  —  A  Winter  in  Western  Koordistan.  — 
Mosul  and  its  Vicinity.  —  The  Mountain  Field.  —  An  Appeal. 

—  Failing  Health.  —  New  Missionaries.  —  Death  of  Mr. 
Thompson.  —  Failure  of  the  Plan  for  a  Western  Station.  — 
Failure  of  Mr.  Cobb's  Health.  —  The  Nestorian  Helpers. — 
Tenth  Revival  in  the  Seminary.  —  Literary  Treasures  of  the 
Nestorians.  —  Marriage  of  Mar  Yohanan.  —  Advance  towards 
Church  Organization.  —  Death  of  the  Patriarch.  —  Extraor- 
dinary Outburst  of  Liberality.  —  Dr.  Dwight's  Visit  to  Oroo- 
miah.  —  His  Opinion  of  the  Church  Policy  of  the  Mission.  — 
Improvements.  —  Appearance  of  the  Native  Preachers.  —  Death 
of  Mr.  Breath.  —  Apprehended  Aggressions  from  Russian  Ec- 
clesiastics. —  More  Revivals.  —  Death  of  Mar  Elias.  —  His 
Character.  —  Armenians  on  the  Plain  of  Oroomiah.  —  Manual 
for  the  Reformed  Church.  —  Retrospect  of  the  Mission.  —  Miss 
Rice  in  sole  Charge  of  the  Female  Seminary.  —  Care  of  the 
English  Government  for  the  Nestorians 131 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Thirty  Years  among  the  Jews.  — 1826-1856. 

The  First  Missionaries.  —  Arrival  of  Mr.  Schauffler  at  Constan- 
tinople. —  Jews  in  that  City.  —  Baptism  of  a  German  Jew.  — 
Religious  Excitements. — Visit  to  Odessa.  —  The  Psalms  in 
Hebrew- Spanish.  —  Printing  of  the  Old  Testament  at  Vienna. 

—  Whole  Bible  in  Hebrew-Spanish.  —  Unsuccessful  Opposi- 
tion. —  Generous  Aid  from  Scotland.  —  Demand  for  the  Scrip- 
tures.—  The  Grand  Difficulty. — Present   Duty  of  Christian 


CONTENTS.  VS. 

Churches.  —  The  German  Jews.  —  Interest  of  Protestant  Ar- 
menians in  the  Mission.  —  The  Italian  Jews.  —  Service  for  the 
Germans.  —  Why  so  much  Preparatory  "Work.  —  New  Editions 
of  the  Scriptures.  —  Important  Testimony.  —  Change  of  Rela- 
tions to  Constantinople  Jews. — Attention  turned  to  the  Jews 
in  Salonica.  —  The  Jewish  Population  there.  —  Missionaries  to 
Salonica.  —  The  Zoharites.  —  Relations  of  the  Jews  to  Christ's 
Kingdom.  —  The  Practical  Inference.  —  Death  of  Mr.  May- 
nard.  —  New  Missionary.  —  The  People  without  Education.  — 
Their  Capacity  for  Self-righteousness.  —  Literary  Labors  of 
Mr.  Schauffler.  —  A  New  Missionary.  —  Insalubrity  of  the 
Climate.  —  Dangerous  Sickness.  —  Death  of  Mrs.  Morgan. — 
Removal  to  Constantinople.  —  Salonica  partially  reoccupied. 
— Labors  among  the  Smyrna  Jews.  —  Labors  of  Mr.  SchaufBer. 
—  Why  the  Mission  was  relinquished.  —  Mr.  Schauffler  turns 
to  the  Moslems 150 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  Bulgarians  op  European  Turkey.  — 1857-1862. 

The  Geographical  Position.  —  Moslem  Population.  —  The  Bulga- 
rians. —  Their  Origin  and  Early  History.  —  Their  Conversion 
to  Christianity  —  Their  Ecclesiastical  Relations.  —  Their  Aver- 
sion to  the  Greek  Hierarchy.  —  Danger  from  the  Papacy. — 
Seasonable  Intervention  of  Protestantism.  —  Their  Struggle 
with  the  Greek  Patriarch.  —  First  Exploration  of  Roumelia,  and 
Dr.  Hamlin's  Report.  —  The  Result.  —  Division  of  the  Bul- 
garian Field  between  Methodist  Missionaries  and  those  of  the 
American  Board.  —  Friendly  Cooperation.  —  Report  of  a  Tour 
by  Mr.  Bliss.  —  Commencement  of  the  Bulgarian  Mission.  — 
Papal  Opposition.  —  The  Mission  enlarged.  —  The  Accessible 
Population.  —  Desire  for  Education.  — Readiness  to  receive  the 
New  Testament.  —  Church  formed  at  Adrianople.  —  Labors  of 
Mr.  Meriam 174 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
The  Btjlgakians  op  European  Tueket.  — 1862-1871. 

Brigandage  in  Bulgaria.  —  Mr.  Meriam  murdered  by  Brigands. 

—  Distressing  Circumstances  and  Death  of  Mrs.  Meriam. — 
Successful  Efforts  to  Punish  the  Assassins.  —  Check  to  the  Brig- 
andage. —  Further  Enlargement  of  the  Mission.  —  School  for 
Girls.  — New  Station  at  Samokov.  — Results  of  a  General  Mis- 
sionary Conference.  —  The  Great  Obstacle.  —  Signs  of  Progress. 

—  Unexpected  Hindrance.  —  Popularity  of  the  Schools.  —  The 
People  not  accessible  to  Preaching.  —  Awakened  Interest.  — 
Girl's  School  at  Eski  Zagra.  —  Cases  of  Domestic  Persecution. 

—  A  Serious  Loss.  —Effect  of  False  Reports.  —A  Successful 
Intervention.  —  Public  Celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  —  Its 
Significance.  —  New  Missionaries.  —  Death  of  Mr.  Ball.  — 
Death  of  Miss  Reynolds.  —  The  Connection  with  the  Armenian 
Mission  dissolved.  —  The  Mission  as  thus  constituted.  —  The 
Bulgarians  Ecclesiastically  Free. — First  Effect  of  this  Free- 
dom.—  Promising  Events.  —  Death  of  Miss  Norcross.  —  Re- 
moval of  the  School  from  Eski  Zagra  to  Samokov.  —  A  Church 
organized  at  Bansko.  —  Translation  of  the  Bible  into  the  Spoken 
Language.  —  The  Mission  in  its  Preliminary  Stage,  but  ready 

for  an  Onward  Movement 191 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

The  Armenians.  — 1861-1863. 

Dr.  Dwight's  Visit  to  the  United  States.  —  His  Sudden  Death.  — 
His  Life  and  Character.  —  His  Views  of  Missionary  Policy.  — 
The  Actual  Call  for  Missionaries,  and  the  Discretion  awarded 
to  them.  — Bebek  Seminary  to  be  removed  into  the  Interior. — 
Its  History. — Removal  of  Boarding  School  for  Girls.  —  Its 
Usefulness.  — Exploration  of  the  Taurus  Mountains.  —  A  Beau- 
tiful Scene.  — A  Barbarous  Expulsion  from  Hadjin.  — Murder 
of  Mr.  Coflfing.  —  Successful  Efforts  to  apprehend  the  Murder- 
ers. —  One  of  them  executed.  —  The  Result.  —  Mrs.  Coffing 
remains  in  the  Mission.  —  Dr.  Goodell's  Estimate  of  Progress 


CONTENTS.  xi 

in  the  Central  Mission.  —  Progress  at  Aintab.  —  At  Oorfa. — 
At  Harpoot.  —  Theological  School.  —  A  Native  Preacher.  — 
Mosul.  —  Ordination  of  a  Native  Pastor  at  Diarbekir.  —  Con- 
trasted with  an  Oriental  Ordination. — Disturbing  Efforts  of 
Garabed.  —  Progress  at  Bitlis.  —  The  Church  at  Erzroom.  — 
Progress  at  Arabkir.  —  Sojourn  of  Dr.  Wood  at  Constanti- 
nople.—  Accessions  to  the  Mission. —  Ordination  of  Native 
Pastors 211 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
The  Armenians. —1864-1865. 

A  Reaction.  —  The  Apparent  Cause.  —  Consequent  Movements. 

—  Results.  —  Position  of  the  Entire  Field.  —  Obstacles  to  be 
surmounted.  —  Painful  Experience  at  Mai-sovan.  —  Accessions 
to  the  Mission.  —  "Working  Force  at  the  Metropolis.  —  Robert 
College  and  Bebek.  —  An  unsuccessful  Disorganizing  Move- 
ment.—  Great  Fire  at  Broosa.  —  New  Missionary  Station. — 
Influence  of  the  American  War  at  Adana.  —  Diminished  Force 
in  Central  Turkey.  —  Evangelical  Progress  at  Aintab.  —  Two 
Churches  formed.  —  Girls'  Boarding  School.  —  High  School.  — 
Graduating  Class  at  Harpoot.  —  Singular  Method  of  Opposi- 
tion.—  Progress  of  Self-support  and  the  Evangelical  Spirit 
in  the  Churches. — Death  of  Mrs.  Williams. — General  View 

'  of  the  Eastern  Mission.  —  Methods  of  Opposition.  —  Liberal 
Support  of  the  Gospel.  —  Prosperity  at  Diarbekir.  —  Death  of 
Mr.  Dodd.  —  Death  of  Mr.  Morgan.  — Death  of  Hohannes.  — 
Interesting  Ordinations.  —  Reception  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker. 

—  A  Native  Church  in  the  Absence  of  both  Missionary  and 
Pastor.  —  Death  of  a  Native  Helper 234 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
The  Armenians.  — 1865-1867. 
Harpoot  Evangelical  Union.  —  Other   Similar  Associations.  — 
Their  Utility.  —  A  Poor  Church  enriched.  —  John  Concord- 
ance, the  Blind  Preacher.  —  His  Sermon  on  Tithes,  and  his 


Xil  CONTENTS. 

Wide  Influence.  —  Meeting  of  the  Harpoot  Union.  —  Death  of 
Mrs.  Adams.  —  New  Missionaries.  —  Multiplication  of  News- 
papers. —  The  Avedaper,  or  "  Messenger."  —  The  Reformed 
Church  and  Prayer-Book.  —  Consequent  Excitement.  —  Bible- 
women. —  Eleven  Years  at  Hai-poot.  —  Week  of  Prayer  at 
Harpoot,  and  Bitlis.  —  RcTival  at  Bitlis.  —  Broosa  after  Seven- 
teen Years.  — First  Evangelical  Greek  Church.  —  Death  of  Mr. 
Walker.  —  His  Character.  —  Return  Home  of  Mrs.  Walker.  — 
Contrast  at  Choonkoosh.  —  A  Foreign  Mission  resolved  upon.  — 
New  Revival  at  Harpoot.  —  The  Past  and  Present.  —  Injurious 
Effect  of  Prosperity  in  a  Church.  —  The  Recovery 259 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
The  Nestokians.  —  1864-1868. 
Death  and  Character  of  Deacon  Isaac.  —  Death  and  Character  of 
Miss  Fiske.  —  Death  of  Deacon  Joseph.  — Mountain  Tours.  — 
The  Mountain  Work.  —  Visit  to  the  Young  Patriarch.  —  Tie 
Seminary  for  Girls.  —  Great  Usefulness  of  Dr.  Wright.  —  His 
Death.  —  Death  of  Mr.  Ambrose.  —  Nestorian  Vagrancy.  — 
Death  and  Character  of  Mr.  Rhea.  —  Hostility  of  Mar  Shimon. 
— Friendly  Agency  of  the  English  Ambassador.  —  Royal  Dona- 
tion.—  Success  of  the  Girls'  School. — Male  Seminary. — A 
Private  School.  —  Death  of  Priest  Eshoo.  —  New  Medical  Mis- 
sionary. —  Estimates  of  Population.  —  Interesting  Armenian 
Colony.  —  The  Patriarch  thwarted  in  his  Hostility.  —  Favoring 
Indications 280 

CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

The  Nestokians.  — 1867-1870. 
Convention  of  Nestorian  Churches.  —  Ordination  of  a  Nestorian 
Missionary. — A  Satisfactory  Tour.  —  Movement  towards  Self- 
supporting  Churches.  —  Progress  of  the  Reformation.  —  Retire- 
ment of  Missionaries.  —  What  Dr.  Perkins  had  seen  accom- 
plished.—  Rekindling  of  the  Ancient  Missionary  Spirit. — 
Foreign  Missions  become  a  Necessity.  —  The  Reviving  Mission- 
ary Spirit  illustrated. — Death  of  Priest  Abraham.  —  Failure 


CONTENTS.  xiii 

of  the  Original  Plan  of  Church  Organization.  —  Mar  Yohanan. 

—  Erratic  Proceedings  of  Priest  John.  —  The  best  People  stand 
firm.  —  The  Past  not  to  be  condemned.  —  Separate  Churches 
become  a  Necessity.  —  Signs  of  Kevival.  —  The  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Field  for  the  Nestorians.  —  The  Missionaries.  —  As- 
signments of  Fields.  —  Transfer  of  the  Mission  to  the  Presby- 
terian Board.  —  Death  and  Character  of  Dr.  Perkins  ....  299 

CHAPTER  XXXVm. 

Stria.  — 1857-1860. 
Death  of  Dr.  Eli  Smith.  —  The  "Work  performed  by  him.  —  Dr. 
Van  Dyck  succeeds  him  as  Translator.  —  The  Missionaries.  — 
Death  of  Dr.  De  Forest.  —  The  Schools.  —  Progress  in  Fifteen 
Years.  —  Ain  Zehalty.  —  Church  at  Hasbeiya.  —  Attitude  of 
the  Maronite  Clergy.  —  B'hamdun.  —  Kefr  Shema.  — A  High- 
minded  Christian.  —  Eeligious  Toleration.  —  Prospect  of  a 
Native  Ministry. — A  New  Call  for  the  Gospel.  —  Church  at 
Alma.  —  Successful  Ministry  at  Cana.  —  First  completed  Prot- 
estant Church  Building  in  Syria.  —  The  Missionary's  Wife  at 
Cana.  —  Persecution.  —  The  Women  at  Alma.  —  Training  of 
Helpers.  —  Ain  Zehalty  again.  —  Struggles  in  the  Department 
of  Education.  — Accessions  to  the  Churches.  —  New  Protestant 
Community  at  Deir  Mimas.  —  A  Cheering  Annual  Meeting.  — 
Friendly  Aid  from  United  States  Ambassador.  —  Arabic  New 
Testament  published        324 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
Stria.  — 1860-1863. 
Another  Civil  War  in  Syria.  —  The  Missionaries  Safe.  —  Mas- 
sacre near  Sidon.  —  Mr.  Bird  at  Deir  el-Komr.  —  Destruction 
ofZahleh.  —  Massacre  at  Hasbeiya.  —  Massacre  at  Damascus. 

—  Relief  for  Suffering  Thousands.  —  Remarkable  Escape  of 
Missionaries  and  Native  Protestants.  — Foreign  Interposition. — 
Effects  of  the  War.  —  Arabic  New  Testament  published.  —  Co- 
operation of  American  and  English  Bible  Societies.  —  Impor- 
tance of  the  Version. —  Sales  of  the  Scriptures.  —  A  Voweled 


Xiv  CONTENTS. 

Arabic  New  Testament.  —  The  Field  Brightening.  —  A  Good 
Governor.  —  Further  Evidences  of  Progress.  —  Persecution.  — 
A  Significant  Event.  —  Evidence  of  Divine  Agency.  —  Changes 
in  the  Mission.  —  Growth  of  Beirfit.  —  Demand  for  Education. 

—  Proposal  for  a  Protestant  College.  —  What  hindered  a  more 
Rapid  Progress  in  the  Mission 346 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Syria. —  1863-1869. 

personal.  —  Boarding  Schools.  —  Printing.  —  Completion  of  the 

Arabic    Translation    of   the    Scriptures.  —  Multiplication    of 

Copies.  —  Improved  Government  of  Lebanon.  —  The  Native 

Ministry.  —  Druze  High  School.  —  Value  of  Druze  Protection. 

—  Death  of  Tannfis  el-Haddad.  —  Native  Pastor  at  Hums.  — 
Remarkable  Awakening  at  Safeeta.  —  Remarkable  Persecution. 

—  Firmness  of  the  persecuted  People.  —  The  Persecution 
closed.  —  Decline  and  Recovery  of  the  Church  at  Hums. — 
Native  Missions. — Administration  of  Daoud  Pasha.  —  Acces- 
sions to  the  Mission.  —  Books  published.  —  The  Publishing 
Department  strengthened 365 

CHAPTER  XLI. 

Stria. —  1869-1870. 
But  few  Students  in  Theology.  —  Institution  of  a  Theological 
Seminary.  —  Female  Boarding  Schools.  —  The  Syrian  Prot- 
estant College.  —  Demand  for  a  College.  —  Its  Objects. — 
Range  of  its  Studies.  —  Why  an  Independent  Institution.  —  Its 
Location  and  Government.  —  Its  Endowment.  —  Its  Students. 

—  The  Religious  Influences.  —  First  Graduating  Class.  —  The 
College  Edifices.  —  Transfer  of  the  Mission  to  the  Presbyterian 
Board.  —  Feeling  awakened  by  the  Transfer.  —  Results  op 
THE  Past 382 

CHAPTER  XLH. 
The  Arme»ians.  — 1867-1869. 
New  Missionaries.  —  Revival  at  Marash.  —  Revival  at  Mardin.  — 
Oosce,  a  Native  Candidate  for  a  Foreign  Mission.  —  Church  or- 


CONTENTS.  XV 

ganized  at  Mardin.  —  "Wife  of  Oosee.  —  Struggle  with  the  People 
of  Zeitoon.  —  Deadly  Assault  on  a  Missionary.  —  The  Rescue. 

—  The  Gospel  gains  a  Footing  in  Zeitoon.  —  Coast  of  the  Black 
Sea. —  Death  of  Dr.  William  Goodell.  — His  Life  and  Charac- 
ter.—  Prolonged  Tour  in  Eastern  Turkey. — Meeting  of  the 
Evangelical  Union  at  Diarbekir.  —  Mardin.  —  Eemarkable 
Church  and  Pastor  at  Sert.  —  Bitlis.  —  Extreme  Poverty  on  the 
Plain  of  Moosh.  — Oppression  by  the  Priesthood.  —  Death  of 
Mrs.  H.  S.  Barnum.  —  District  of  Erzroom. — Diarbekir. — 
Native  Mission  to  Koordistan.  —  Native  Mission  to  Moosh.  — 
Seminaries  at  Harpoot.  —  Cruel  Persecution  at  Mardin.  —  Re- 
vival at  Oorfa.  —  Apprehended  Doctrinal  Errors.  —  Reception 
of  Mr.  Wlieeler  on  his  Return  to  Harpoot.  —  Progress  of  Civil- 
ization at  Aleppo.  —  Death  of  John  Concordance.  —  Aintab 
after  Twenty  Years 400 

CHAPTER  XLHI. 
The  Armenians. —  1869-1872. 
Anc  ther  Revival  at  Marash.  —  Another  at  Bitlis.  —  New  Church 
and  Pastor  at  Havadoric.  —  Great  Change  in  Ha'djin.  —  The 
Marsovan  Seminary.  —  Angora.  —  Erzingan.  —  Crisis  in  the 
Koordistan  Native  Mission.  —  Mr.  Wheeler's  Visit  to  it,  and 
Mr.  Pond's  Visit  to  Sert.  —  Mosul.  —  Death  of  Dr.  Williams. 

—  His  Character.  —  Women  in  the  Region  of  Cesarea.  —  Mis- 
sionary Visit  to  Van.  —  Death  of  a  Native  Pastor.  —  Dr. 
Clarke's  Impressions  of  Cilicia 428 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 
The  Armenians.  —  Education.  — 1872. 
Common  Schools  a  Necessity.  —  The  Four  Seminaries.  —  The 
Female  Boarding  Schools.  —  Tabular  View  of  the  Higher 
Schools.  —  Marsovan  Seminary.  — Harpoot  Seminaries.  — Ma- 
rash Seminary. — Mardin  Seminaries.  —  Training  School  at 
Tocat.  —  High  School  at  Aintab.  —  Marsovan  Female  Sem- 
inary.—  Harpoot  Female  Seminary.  —  Female  Boarding  School 


xvi  CONTENTS. 

at  Aintab.  —  Marash  Female  High  School.  —  The  Robert 
College.  —  Its  Origin. —^Obstacles  to  be  overcome.  —  To  be 
a  Christian  Institution.  —  The  Toundeir.  —  Fully  established. 
—  How  Obstacles  were  surmounted.  —  The  College  Self-sup- 
porting. —  Gifts  by  the  Founder.  —  The  Demand  for  Liberal 
Education.  —  Proposed  College  in  the  Interior.  —  How  the  Idea 
originated.  —  Interesting  Statement  from  Aintab.  —  To  be 
located  in  Aintab 443 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

The  Armenians.  —  Present  Condition.  — 1872. 
Unreasonable  Demands  on  Foreign  Missions.  —  How  the  Mil- 
lennium is  made  possible.  —  The  Evangelizing  Progress.  — 
Changes  in  the  Metropolis  of  Turkey.  —  National  Progress.  — 
Influence  of  the  Protestant  Faith.  —  Reform  in  Worship.  —  The 
Missionaries  Hopeful.  —  The  Degree  of  Progress. — Illustra- 
tions. —  The  Harpoot  Community.  —  General  Statements.  — 
The  Result 458 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 
The  Mohammedans. 
The  Mohammedans  to  be  approached  through  the  Oriental 
Churches.  — Largely  of  Christian  Origin.  — Degree  of  Security 
for  Moslem  Converts.  —  Mohammedan  Susceptibility  to  Chris- 
tian Influence  illustrated.  —  General  Character  of  the  Illustra- 
tions. —  The  Gospel  yet  in  its  Incipient  Stage  of  Influence 
among  them.  —  Why  so  little  Direct  Effort  hitherto.  — Demand 
for  Laborers  of  the  same  Race.  —  Experience  favors  the  Plan 
hitherto  pursued.  —  Ttie  Probable  Future.  —  The  Relations  of 
the  Missionary  to  the  Moslems.  —  The  Turks  not  an  Unhopeful 
Race 473 


MISSIONS 

TO  THE 

ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE    ARMENIANS. 

1846-1855. 

Seveeal  European  governments,  and  especially 
England,  performed  an  important  part  in  securing 
civil  and  religious  freedom  to  the  Protestant  Arme- 
nians.^ 

In  March,  1846,  Sir  Stratford  Canning,  English 
Ambassador  at  Constantinople,  reported  to  Agency  of 
his  government  thirty-six  evangelical  Ar-  canning. 
menians  as  persecuted  by  the  Patriarch.  To  this  he 
added  personal  efforts  to  meliorate  their  condition, 
which  resulted  in  promises  from  Turkish  officials  and 
the  Patriarch  of  better  treatment,  promises  that 
were  by  no  means  fulfilled. 

Upon  learning  that  the  Armenian  Protestants 
had  been  organized  into  a  church,  he  transmitted  to 

1  This  is  impressively  set  forth  in  the  Correspondence  respecting  the 
Condition  of  Protestants  in  Turkey,  published  by  order  of  Parliament 
in  1851,  pp.  154  folio. 

VOL.  n.  1. 


2         MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

Lord  Palmerstoii,  the  Foreign  Secretary,  their  dec- 
laration of  reasons  for  so  doing,  and  their  confes- 
sion of  faith. 

The  Hon.  H.  R.  Wellesley,  better  known  as  Lord 
Cowley,  on  taking  the  place  of  Sir  Strat- 

Agencyof  •' '  t>  f 

Lord  Cowley,  f^j.j  during  his  visit  to  England,  cordially 
took  up  the  unfinished  work  of  his  predecessor,  and 
urged  upon  Lord  Palmerston  the  importance  of  pro- 
curing from  the  Porte  a  recognition  of  the  Protes- 
tant Armenians  as  an  independent  community.  He 
showed  that,  in  spite  of  the  liberal  assurances  ex- 
torted from  the  Patriarch,  they  were  exposed  to 
daily  injury  and  insult,  and  would  continue  to  be  so 
until  recognized  by  the  Porte  as  a  distinct  commu- 
nity among  its  Christian  subjects.  At  the  same 
time,  he  forwarded  a  copy  of  an  able  declaration  by 
the  American  missionaries  of  their  objects  in  com- 
ing to  Turkey,  which  they  had  made  to  the  Porte 
through  Mr.  Carr,  the  American  Minister.  Lord 
Instructions    Cowlcy  was  iustructcd  by  Lord  Palmerston, 

from  Lord 

Palmerston.  "  to  briug  thc  situatiou  of  these  people 
earnestly  under  the  consideration  of  the  Porte,  and 
urgently  to  press  the  Turkish  government  to  ac- 
knowledge them  as  a  separate  religious  sect."  In 
Action  of  the  Deccmbcr  the  Porte  freed  the  Protestant 
Porte.  Armenians  from  the  rule  of  the  Armenian 

Patriarch,  so  far  as  regarded  their  commercial  and 
temporal  aifairs,  and  allowed  them  to  appoint  an 
agent,  who  should  manage  their  affairs  with  the  gov- 


THE  ARMENIANS.  3 

ernment ;  and  also  to  keep  separate  registers  of  mar- 
riages, births,  and  deaths.  The  Chevalier  Bunsen, 
the  well  known  Prussian  Ambassador  in  ^^^  ^.^^^^ 
Paris,  now  entered  into  the  work,  and  rec-  "°'^"°^'*- 
ommended,  that  their  recognition  be  as  dm-able  and 
complete  as  that  of  the  other  Christian  nationali- 
ties. To  this  proposal  Lord  Palmerstou  cordially 
assented ;  but  the  Turkish  officials  were,  as  usual, 
disinclined  to  go  forward. 

On  the  19th  of  November,  1847,  Lord  Cowley  had 
the  satisfaction  of  announcing,  that  the  j^^^.^  ^^^_ 
Grand  Vizier,  wishing,  as  he  said,  to  do  ^^r^'""^^- 
something  that  he  knew  would  be  agreeable  to  his 
lordship,  before  he  should  leave  the  country,  had  ob- 
tained the  Sultan's  permission  to  issue  a  vizierial 
letter  in  his  Majesty's  name,  which  would  establish 
their  independencewat  once.^ 

At  the  suggestion  of  Lord  Cowley,  the  Porte 
promised  to  send  letters  to  five  different  pashalics 
where  there  were  Protestants,  requiring  them  to  act 
in  accordance  with  the  letter ;  in  which  was  granted 
the  privilege  of  toleration  to  all  Protestant  subjects 
alike,  whether  from  the  Armenian,  Greek,  Syrian,  or 
Roman  Catholic  Churches,  or  from  the  Jews. 

This  letter  was  of  great  importance  under  the  ex- 
isting circumstances  ;  but  the  privileges  it  conferred 
might  all  be  taken  away  on  a  change  of  ministry. 
Accordingly  Sir  Stratford  Canning,  on  his  return  to 

1  This  letter  may  be  found  in  Missionary  Herald  for  1848,  p.  98. 


4  MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Constantinople  in  1850,  lost  no  time  in  commenc- 
Further  ^"o  ncgotiatious  for  a  more  stable  basis  of 
obtatnedby  protectiou,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  an 
Sir  Stratford,  jjjjpgj.jjj^j  Firman  with  the  autograph  of  the 
Sultan,  in  behalf  of  his  Protestant  subjects ;  giving 
to  their  civil  organization  all  the  stability  and  per- 
manency that  the  older  Christian  communities  en- 
joyed in  Turkey.  It  vpas  issued  in  November,  1850; 
and  translated  into  English,  reads  as  follows  :  — 

"  To  my  Vizier,  Mohammed  Pasha,  Prefect  of  the- 
Police  in  Constantinople,  the  honorable  Minister  and 
glorious  Councillor,  the  model  of  the  world, 
and  regulator  of  the  aflfairs  of  the  commu- 
nity ;  who,  directing  the  public  interests  with  sub- 
lime prudence,  consolidating  the  structure  of  the 
empire  with  wisdom,  and  strengthening  the  columns 
of  its  prosperity  and  glory,  is  the  recipient  of  every 
grace  from  the  Most  High.  May  God  prolong  his 
glory  ! 

"  When  this  sublime  and  august  mandate  reaches 
you,  let  it  be  known,  that  hitherto  those  of  my 
Christian  subjects  who  have  embraced  the  Protes- 
tant faith,  in  consequence  of  their  not  being  under 
any  specially  appointed  superintendence,  and  in  con- 
sequence of  the  patriarchs  and  primates  of  their 
former  sects,  which  they  have  renounced,  naturally 
not  being  able  to  attend  to  their  affairs,  have  suf- 
fered  much   inconvenience    and  distress.      But  in 


THE  ARMENIANS.  6 

necessary  accordance  with  my  imperial  compassion, 
which  is  the  support  of  all,  and  which  is  manifested 
to  all  classes  of  my  subjects,  it  is  contrary  to  my 
imperial  pleasure  that  any  one  class  of  them  should 
be  exposed  to  suffering*. 

"  As,  therefore,  by  reason  of  their  faith,  the  above 
mentioned  are  already  a  separate  community,  it  is 
my  royal  compassionate  will,  that,  for  the  facilitating 
the  conducting'  of  their  affairs,  and  that  they  may  ob- 
tain ease  and  quiet  and  safety,  a  faithful  and  trust- 
worthy person  from  among  themselves,  and  by  their 
own  selection,  should  be  appointed,  with  the  title  of 
*  Agent  of  the  Protestants,'  and  that  he  should  be  in 
relations  with  the  Prefecture  of  the  Police. 

"  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Agent  to  have  in 
charge  the  register  of  the  male  members  of  the 
community,  which  shall  be  kept  at  the  police  ;  and 
the  Agent  shall  cause  to  be  registered  therein  all 
births  and  deaths  in  the  community.  And  all  appli- 
cations for  passports  and  marriage  licenses,  and  all 
petitions  on  affairs  concerning  the  community  that 
are  to  be  presented  to  the  Sublime  Porte,  or  to  any 
other  department,  must  be  given  in  under  the  offi- 
cial seal  of  the  Agent. 

"  For  the  execution  of  my  will,  this  my  imperial 
sublime  mandate  and  august  command  has  been  es- 
pecially issued  and  given  from  my  sublime  chancery. 

"  Hence  thou,  who  art  the  minister  above  named, 
according  as  it  has  been  explained  above,  wilt  exe- 


6         MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

cute  to  the  letter  the  preceding*  ordinance  ;  only,  as 
the  collection  of  the  capitation  tax  and  the  delivery 
of  passports  are  subject  to  particular  regulations, 
you  will  not  do  anything  contrary  to  those  regula- 
tions. You  will  not  permit  anything  to  be  required 
of  them,  in  the  name  of  fee,  or  on  other  pretences, 
for  marriage  licenses,  or  registration.  You  will  see 
to  it  that,  like  the  other  communities  of  the  em- 
pire, in  all  their  affairs,  such  as  procuring  cemeter- 
ies and  places  of  worship,  they  should  have  every 
facility  and  every  needed  assistance.  You  will  not 
permit  that  any  of  the  other  communities  shall  in 
any  way  interfere  with  their  edifices,  or  with  their 
worldly  matters  or  concerns,  or,  in  short,  with  any 
of  their  affairs,  either  secular  or  religious,  that  thus 
they  may  be  free  to  exercise  the  usages  of  their 
faith. 

"  And  it  is  enjoined  upon  you  not  to  allow  them 
to  be  molested  an  iota  in  these  particulars,  or  in  any 
others ;  and  that  all  attention  and  perseverance  be 
put  in  requisition  to  maintain  them  in  quiet  and 
security.  And,  in  case  of  necessity,  they  shall  be 
free  to  make  representations  regarding  their  affairs 
through  their  Agent  to  the  Sublime  Porte. 

"  When  this  my  imperial  will  shall  be  brought  to 
your  knowledge  and  appreciation,  you  will  have  this 
august  decree  registered  in  the  necessary  depart- 
ments, and  then  give  it  over  to  remain  in  the  hands 
of  these  my  subjects.     And  see  you  to  it,  that  its 


THE  ARMENIANS.  7 

requirements  be  always  in  future  performed  in  their 
full  import. 

"  Thus  know  thou,  and  respect  my  sacred  signet ! 
Written  in  the  holy  month  of  Moharrem,  1267 
(November,  1850). 

"  Given  in  the  well  guarded  city  Constantiniyeh." 

At  the  request  of  Sir  Stratford  Canning,  thirteen 

of   the  leading   Protestants    called    upon  Good  coun- 
sel to  the 

him,  on  the  occasion  of  his  procuring  this  Protestants. 
charter  of  rights;  and  for  nearly  an  hour  he  ad- 
dressed them  on  their  duties  and  responsibilities,  in 
their  present  position  in  the  empire.  He  told  them 
that  they  ought  to  thank  God  that  they  were  the 
first  to  be  relieved  from  the  shackles  of  supersti- 
tion, and  made  acquainted  with  the  pure  Gospel  of 
Christ.  He  told  them  that  many  eyes  were  upon 
them,  and  that  they  ought  to  excel  all  others  in  the 
land  in  faithful  obedience  to  the  government,  in  a 
brotherly  deportment  to  those  of  other  religious 
opinions,  and  an  example  of  uprightness  in  every 
relation.  Again  and  again  did  he  exhort  them  to 
act,  in  all  things,  according  to  the  principles  and 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel. 

Three  years  after  this,  on  the  6th  of  December, 
1853,  on  his  return  to  Constantinople  as  Lord  Strat- 
ford de  Redcliife,  the  same  noble  friend  of  Di,atori- 
religious  freedom,  wrote  to  the   Earl    of  Turwfh^* 
Clarendon,  that  he  had  endeavored  in  vain  ^°^®"'™^°  • 


8  MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

to  obtain  the  oflBcial  transmission  of  the  firman  to 
the  Pashas  throughout  the  empire.  This  was  strik- 
ingly characteristic  of  Turkish  procrastination.  But 
he  was  then  able  to  state,  that  the  Porte,  "  out  of 
consideration  for  his  repeated  representations,"  had 
officially  transmitted  the  firman  to  all  Pashas  where 
a  Protestant  society  was  known  to  exist. 

In  1854,  his  lordship  obtained  the  concession 
Another  f^om  the  Turkish  government,  that  Chris- 
by°th^Ti3-  tian  evidence,  in  matters  of  criminal  ju- 
risdiction, should  stand  on  the  same  footing 
everywhere  in  Turkey  as  the  testimony  of  Moham- 
medans ;  thus  removing  a  great  wrong,  under  which 
the  rayahs  of  the  empire  had  labored  for  centuries. 

While  gratefully  acknowledging  our  obligations 
to  the  representatives  of  other  nations,  I  should  also 
record,  that  our  brethren,  both  in  the  Armenian  and 
Agency  of  Syria  missions,  were  under  continued  ob- 
can  Minister,  ligation  to  Mr.  Carr,  our  Minister  at  the 
Porte,  for  personal  protection  as  American  citizens. 
He  acted  with  decision  whenever  their  rights  were 
•invaded.  In  the  repeated  efforts  made  to  remove 
them  from  the  country,  his  reply  to  the  formal  de- 
mands of  the  Porte  was,  that  he  had  power  to  pro- 
tect the  missionaries  as  American  citizens,  but  not 
to  remove  them  ;  and  furthermore,  that  while  papal 
missionaries  from  France  and  Italy  were  permitted 
to  reside  in  Turkey,  Protestant  missionaries  from 
America  must  also  have  the  same  privilege. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  9 

Here  we  may  properly  pause,  and  consider  what 
God  had  wrought,  not  alone  through  the  agency  of 
the   churches,  but  with  the  cooperation  of  Greatness 

of  the 

the  great  powers  of  the  earth.  Twenty  changes. 
years  before,  Messrs.  Smith  and  Dwight  did  not  find 
a  single  clear  case  of  conversion  in  their  extended 
travels  through  the  Turkish  empire.  How  many 
and  great  the  subsequent  changes  !  First  came  the 
national  charter  of  rights,  given  by  the  Sultan  in 
1840 ;  which,  among  its  other  results,  destroyed  the 
persecuting  power  of  the  Armenian  aristocracy. 
Next  came  the  abolition  of  the  death  penalty,  in 
1843,  and  the  Sultan's  pledge,  that  men  should  no 
more  be  persecuted  for  their  religious  opinions. 
Then,  after  three  years,  came  the  unthought  of 
application  of  this  pledge  to  the  Armenian  Protes- 
tants, when  persecuted  by  their  own  hierarchy.  In 
the  next  year  followed  the  recognition  of  the  Prot- 
estants as  an  independent  community.  Finally,  iu 
1850,  came  the  charter,  signed  by  the  Grand  Sultan 
himself,  placing  the  Protestants  on  the  same  na- 
tional basis  with  the  other  Christian  communities  of 
the  empire. 

How  wonderful  this  progression  of  events !  So 
far  as  the  central  government  was  concerned,  mis- 
sionaries might  print,  gather  schools,  form  churches, 
ordain  pastors,  and  send  forth  other  laborers,  wher- 
ever they  pleased.  Attention  had  been  awakened, 
and  there  was  a  disposition  to   inquire,  renounce 


10        MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

errors,  and  embrace  gospel  truths.  There  was  a 
progressive  chauge  in  fundamental  ideas  ;  a  gradual 
reconstruction  of  the  social  system ;  a  spiritual  ref- 
ormation. At  least  fifty  places  were  known,  scat- 
tered over  Asiatic  Turkey,  in  all  of  which  souls 
had  been  converted  through  the  truth,  and  where 
churches  might  be  gathered.  Ten  churches  had 
been  formed  already,  and  in  part  supplied  with  pas- 
tors. Aintab,  scarcely  known  by  name  five  years 
before,  numbered  more  Protestants  than  even  the 
metropolis,  and  was  becoming  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting missionary  stations  in  the  world. 

In  this  remarkable  series  of  results  we  recognize 
Divine  the  hand  of  God,  who  makes  all  earthly 
ognized.  agencies  subservient  to  the  great  work  of 
redemption ;  so  that  secular  agencies  come  as  legiti- 
mately into  the  history  of  the  republication  of  the 
Gospel  in  Bible  lands,  as  do  the  labors  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. They  were  among  the  ordained  means ; 
and  the  leading  agents  cannot  fail  to  command  our 
grateful  admiration. 

The  danger  at  this  time  was,  that  the  reformation 

so  auspiciously  begun,  would  pass  its  grand  crisis 

before  the  central  lights  had  grown  bright 

The  danger* 

enough,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  Gospel 
been  sufl&ciently  diffused  in  the  empire.  There  was 
everywhere  a  curiosity  to  know  what  Protestantism 
was,  and  to  hear  what  the  missionaries  had  to  say ; 
but  this  curiosity,  regarded  as  a  national  feeling. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  11 

was  in  clanger  of  dying  out.     In  the  year  1851,  the 

President  of  the  National  Council  of  the  Armenians 

said  to  Mr.  Dwig-lit :  "  Now  is  the  time  for  you  to 

work  for  the  Armenian  people.    Such  an  opportunity 

as   you  now  enjoy  may  soon  pass  away,  and  never 

more    return.     You    should    greatly   enlarge    your 

operations.     Where  you  have  one   missionary,  you 

should  have  ten  ;  and  where  you  have  one  hook,  you 

should    put    ten   in   circulation."      Constantinople, 

Smyrna,  Broosa,  Trebizond,  Erzroom,  and  Aintab, 

were  already  occupied  as  stations.     It  was  proposed 

at   once   to   occupy  Sivas,  Arabkir,  Diarbekir,  and 

Aleppo.     Mr.  Adger,   after  a  laborious   and    most 

useful   service   in   the   literary   department   of  the 

mission,  was  constrained,  by  his  health,  in  1847,  to 

retire  from  the  field. 

The  statement  of  Lord  Stratford,  that  three  years 

were  allowed  to  pass  before  the  Sultan's  firman  was 

transmitted  to  the  provinces,  will  account  why  perse- 
cution con- 
in  part  for  the  fact  that  persecution  did  not  tinned. 

cease.  In  general,  whenever  evangelical  views  en- 
tered for  the  first  time  into  a  place,  a  battle  was  to 
be  fought,  and  the  first  recipients  of  these  views 
were  sure  to  suffer  more  or  less  from  the  hands  of 
their  former  co-religionists.  But  relief  was  almost 
sure  to  come  on  an  appeal  to  the  capital ;  and  thus 
there  was  a  gradual  progress  towards  the  full  pro- 
tection of  the  Protestants  as  a  distinct  community. 
The  accession  of   missionaries   during  the  time 


12        MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

now  under  review,  was  as  follows :  Joel  S.  Everett, 
New  mission-  ^"  1845;  Isaac  G.  Bliss,  in  1847;  Oliver 
'^*'-  Crane,   in    1849  ;   Joseph  W.  Sutphen,  in 

1852  —  who  died  before  the  close  of  the  year  ;  Wil- 
son A.  Farnsworth,  William  Clark,  Andrew  T.  Pratt, 
M.  D. ;  George  B.  Nutting,  Fayette  Jewett,  M.  D., 
and  Jasper  N.  Ball,  in  1853 ;  Albert  G.  Beebe, 
George  A.  Perkins,  Sanford  Richardson,  Edwin 
Goodell,  and  Benjamin  Parsons,  in  1854 ;  and  Alex- 
ander R.  Plumer,  and  Ira  T.  Pettibone,  in  1855. 
All  these  were  married  men,  except  Mr.  Pettibone. 
Mary  and  Isabella,  daughters  of  Dr.  Goodell,  re- 
turned to  the  mission  within  the  last  two  years. 

In  June,  1848,  Pera  was  again  ravaged  by  fire, 
pera  again     and  Mcssrs.  Dwight,  Homes,  and  Schauf- 

ravaged  by 

fire.  fler  lost  their  houses,  and  most  of  their  ef- 

fects. 

In  October  of  the  same  year,  seven  persons  were 
TheAintab  ^^dcd  to  thc  cliurch  at  Aintab,  five  of 
station.  whom  were  women.  In  this  mouth.  Dr. 
Azariah  Smith  returned  to  that  station  with  his  wife, 
and  made  it  his  permanent  abode. 

The  church  at  Aintab  had  a  commendable  zeal  for 
*  Native  zeal  *^^®  Spread  of  the  Gospel  in  the  surrounding 
i  sprea'dofthe  vlllagcs ;   but  their  colporters  were  never 


°^^^'  suffered  to  remain  long  in  a  place,  the 
Armenian  magnates  persuading  the  Turkish  author- 
ities to  send  them  away  as  vagabonds.  They  now 
resorted  to  an  ingenious  expedient  for  protecting 


THE  ARMENIANS.  13 

themselves  with  the  authority  of  law.  Five  men, 
who  had  trades,  went  forth  to  different  towns,  with 
their  tools  in  one  hand  and  the  Bible  in  the  other. 
Wherever  they  went  they  worked  at  their  trades, 
and  at  the  same  time  preached  Christ  to  the  people. 
The  experiment  succeeded  wonderfully.  They  could 
no  longer  be  treated  as  vagabonds,  and  the  spirit  of 
religious  inquiry  spread  in  all  directions.  The  con- 
gregation in  Aintab  became  so  large  that  two  houses 
were  opened  for  worship  at  the  same  time,  and  ur- 
gent appeals  came  from  Killis,  Marash,  Oorfa,  Diar- 
bekir,  Malatia,  Harpoot,  Arabkir,  and  other  places 
near  and  remote. 

Mr.  Crane  succeeded  Mr.  Schneider  at  Broosa. 
Mr.  Benjamin  made  a  missionary  tour  from  Activity  of 
Smyrna  to  the  interior  of  Asia  Minor  ;  Mr.  ^^^^ '^'^^•°''- 
Schneider  made  one  to  Aintab,  on  a  temporary  mis- 
sion ;  Messrs.  Goodell  and  Everett  to  Nicomedia  and 
Adabazar ;  Mr.  Peabody  into  the  province  of  Ge- 
ghi ;  Mr.  Homes  to  Nicomedia ;  and  Mr.  Johnston 
to  Tocat.  The  building  occupied  by  the  Seminary  at 
Bebek  became  now  the  property  of  the  Board.  The 
printing  at  Smyrna,  in  Armenian,  Armeno-Turkish, 
Hebrew-Spanish,  and  Modern  Greek,  amounted  to 
twenty- one  thousand  copies,  and  five  million  five 
hundred  and  eighty-two  thousand  pages.  There  was 
printing  done  at  Constantinople,  but  the  amount  was 
not  reported.  Among  the  works  in  process  of  pub- 
lication was  D'Aubigne's  "  History  of  the  Reforma- 
tion." 


14        MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

The  persecuting  Matteos  had  uow  finished  his 
Matteos  de-  Career  as  Patriarch.     Before  the  close  of 

posed  from 

office.  1848,  he  was  convicted  of  frauds  upon  the 

public  treasury,  and  of  forgery,  and  was  degraded, 
and  passed  into  retirement  on  the  shores  of  the 
Bosphorus.^ 

Three  additional  pastors  were  ordained  during 
Native  pas-  ^^^  1^^'^  which  closcd  with  May,  1849  ; 
*"^  Baron    Mugurdich,   at    Trebizond,   Baron 

Hohauues  Sahakian,  at  Adabazar,  and  Baron  Ave- 
dis,  as  co-pastor  at  Constantinople.  The  reader  is 
aware  that  Hohannes  received  the  greater  part  of 
his  education  in  the  United  States.  He  possessed  a 
delightful  spirit,  and  developed  far  more  talent  than 
he  was  commonly  credited  with  in  America,  Avhere 
he  could  communicate  his  thoughts  only  through 
the  medium  of  a  strange  language. 

The  mission  suffered  a  painful  bereavement  on 
Death  of  Mrs.  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^^  Novcmbcr,  1850,  in  the  death 
Hamlin.  ^^  ^^^^  Hamlin,  at  Rhodes,  whither  she 
had  gone  with  her  husband  in  the  hope  of  relief.^ 

Another  bereavement  occurred  at  Aintab  in  the 
death  on  the  3d  of  June,  1851,  of  the  Rev.  Azariah 
?i^racter*^of  Smith,  M.  D.  Such  was  his  peculiar  adap- 
Dr.  Azariah    ^^^j^^  ^^  different  fields,  that  he  had  labored 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1849,  p.  42  ;  Report,  1849,  p.  115. 

2  See  an  account  of  her  last  sickness  in  Missionary  Herald  for  1851, 
p.  82 ;  also  in  her  Memoir,  Light  in  the  Dark  River,  by  Mrs.  Law- 
rence. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  15 

in  many  places,  but  had  a  special  attachment  for 
Aintab.  The  uncommonly  rapid  development  of  the 
active  Christian  graces  at  that  station  was  largely 
owiug,  under  God,  to  his  skillful  efforts,  and  he 
wished  there  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
In  this  he  was  gratified.  He  returned  from  labor- 
ing at  Diarbekir  greatly  in  need  of  quiet.  But 
finding  so  much  to  be  done  in  the  absence  of  Mr. 
Schneider  at  the  annual  meeting  in  Constantinople, 
he  allowed  himself  no  relaxation.  His  labors  for 
the  last  six  weeks  of  his  life  were  incessant.  A  vio- 
lent fever  did  its  work  in  a  fortnight.  At  the  out- 
set he  gave  specific  directions  as  to  the  treatment 
of  his  case,  feeling  that  soon  he  would  be  uuable  to 
prescribe  for  himself;  and  expressed  a  wish  that  no 
native  physician  should  be  employed,  as  there  was 
no  competent  one  to  be  had  at  Aintab.  While  in 
full  possession  of  reason,  he  spoke  of  his  departure 
with  the  composure  of  one  on  a  short  journey,  and 
soon  to  return.  As  the  native  brethren  came  iu  one 
by  one  and  in  companies,  he  reminded  them  how 
often  he  had  preached  to  them  salvation  through 
Christ  alone.  "In  his  lucid  intervals,"  says  his 
missionary  brother,  "  and  even  in  his  delirium,  his 
soul  seemed  intent  on  measures  for  the  good  of  this 
people.  At  last  he  appeared  to  be  at  the  gate  of 
heaven.  When  no  longer  able  to  articulate  words, 
he  would  utter  faint  syllables  expressive  of  his  grow- 
ing rapture.    Then  he  would  move  his  lips  as  if  in 


16        MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

prayer ;  and,  again,  for  miuutes  together,  he  would 
attempt  to  sing.  It  was  a  blessed  privilege  to  be 
by  his  side."  Mr.  Dun  more  was  preseut  at  the 
funeral,  and  says :  "  The  chapel  was  crowded,  and 
the  roofs  of  the  surrounding  buildings  were  covered. 
There  was  abundant  proof  of  the  presence  of  grief- 
stricken  hearts  in  gushing  tears,  and  sobs  were 
heard  throughout  the  assembly.  There  were  six  or 
seven  hundred  present,  and  nearly  as  many  accom- 
panied us  to  the  grave.  I  scarcely  ever  saw  in 
America  a  more  quiet  and  solemn  procession.  In 
the  Protestant  burying  ground,  by  the  side  of  his 
only  child,  lie  the  remains  of  our  dear  departed 
brother." 

The  Rev.  George  W.  Duumore  and  wife  had 
Misceiia-       joiucd  tlic  uiissiou  early  in  1851,  and  pro- 

neous  m^t- 

ters.  ceeded    to   Diarbekir   by   way   of   Aiutab. 

Broosa  was  now  left  for  a  time,  as  Nicomedia  and 
Adabazar  had  been,  to  the  care  of  a  native  pastor, 
under  the  superintendence  of  the  Constantinople 
station  ;  and  useful  evangelical  tours  were  per- 
formed by  different  brethren.^ 

The  law  forbidding  the  residence  of  foreigners  in 
Constantinople  proper  having  become  a  dead  letter, 
two  of  the  brethren  took  up  their  abode  near  the 
"  Seven  Towers,"  amid  an  Armenian  population,  and 
a  third  evangelical  church  was  formed  in  February, 
1852,  in  the  suburb  of  Has-Keuy. 

I  See  Missionary  Herald  for  1851,  pp.  24-32,  78-81, 160-162,  232-236 


THE  ARMENIANS.  17 

Among  the  miscellaneous  labors  of  the  brethren 
at  the  capitol,  was  the  distribution  of  letters  received 
at  the  mission  post-office  from  the  European  mails. 
Not  less  than  fifteen  hundred  letters  were  thus  dis- 
posed of  in  the  year  1851,  as  the  Turks  had  no  ar- 
rang-ements  for  distributing  letters  that  came  by- 
steamers.  There  was  also  much  other  secular  labor 
for  the  brethren  at  this  central  station. 

Difficulties  in  the  church  at  Trebizond  occasioned 
the  calling  of  an  ecclesiastical  council,  —  First  ecciesi- 

.  astical  coun- 

the  first  one  convened  in  the  Turkish  em-  cu. 
pire.  Pastor  Simon  was  present  from  the  first 
church  in  Constantinople,  pastor  Hohannes  from 
Adabazar,  and  Mr.  Dwight  from  the  mission.  Pas- 
tor Hohannes  was  chosen  moderator,  and  pastor 
Simon  scribe ;  and  Mr  Dwight  describes  them  as 
managing  the  case  with  adiftirable  tact  and  pru- 
dence.    The  results  were  satisfactory. 

Marsovan  began  now  to  claim  special  attention. 
It  stands  in  one  corner  of  a  lovely  plain  The  oospei 

.  .  introduced  at 

hemmed  in  by  mountains,  and  then  con-  Marsovan. 
tained  eight  hundred  Armenian  houses,  with  twice 
that  number  of  Turkish  families.  The  story  of  the 
entrance  of  the  Gospel  into  this  place  is  so  interest- 
ing that  it  deserves  to  be  recorded.  Pastor  Simon 
visited  it  in  September,  1851,  on  his  return  from 
the  council  at  Trebizond,  and  learned  that,  eighteen 
years  before,  a  respectable  inhabitant  made  a  pil- 
grimage to  Jerusalem,  and  bought  in  Beirut  a  few 


18        MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Armeno-Turkish  tracts,  not  knowing  what  they 
were,  only  that  they  were  written  in  his  own  native 
tongue.  He  read  them  carefully  on  his  way  home, 
and  liked  them  so  well  that  he  retained  them  ;  but 
not  until  Protestants  and  Protestant  books  were 
anathematized  in  the  churches  did  he  learn  their 
origin.  They  had  been  printed  in  Malta  under  the 
supervision  of  Mr.  Goodell.  Soon  after  this,  Der 
Vartanes,  on  a  missionary  tour  through  Armenia, 
spent  a  night  at  ,the  convent  in  Marsovau.  This 
man  was  present  in  the  evening,  and  recognized  the 
similarity  between  the  teachings  of  the  stranger  and 
his  favorite  tracts,  but  did  not  dare  to  speak  out  be- 
fore the  Vartabed.  He  managed,  however,  to  see 
the  good  priest  alone,  and  with  great  difficulty  they 
contrived  to  unite  in  prayer  under  a  tree  in  the  gar- 
den. This  was  the  only  evangelical  prayer  he  ever 
heard  till  Mr.  Powers  visited  the  place  in  March, 
1851.  We  need  not  say  how  cordially  he  was  re- 
ceived by  the  owner  of  the  tracts ;  nor  by  him  alone, 
for  the  missionary  could  scarcely  get  a  moment  to 
himself  day  or  night.  No  wonder  Mr.  Powers  felt 
that  God  had  good  things  in  store  for  this  people. 
When  he  returned  in  July,  he  was  disappointed  in 
not  being  met  by  his  friend,  till  he  learned  that 
six  weeks  before  he  had  been  dragged  from  his  bed 
at  midnight,  and  sent  a  prisoner  with  four  others  to 
Amasia,  a  town  twenty-four  miles  distant.  There 
for  two  weeks  they  were   shut  up  with  the  vilest 


THE  ARMENIANS.  19 

criminals,  and  one  day  they  were  chained  together, 
two  and  two.  The  charge  brought  against  them  by 
the  governor  and  council  of  Marsovan  was,  that 
they  had  made  a  violent  assault  upon  the  court. 
Nor  would  the  Pasha  of  Amasia,  who,  according  to 
Turkish  custom,  had  "  eaten  "  a  large  bribe,  listen 
to  any  denial  of  the  preposterous  accusation. 

The  outrages  which  they  suffered  at  length  pro- 
duced such  an  excitement  at  Marsovan,  that  the 
primates  hastened  to  give  an  order  for  their  re- 
lease. The  spirit  of  religious  inquiry  now  greatly 
increased,  and  a  large  number  signed  a  petition  to 
be  set  off  from  the  Armenian  Church  as  Protestants. 

Mr.  E.  E.  Bliss  visited  Marsovan  in  October,  and 
was  there  three  months.  His  presence  j^  ^5^.^^^  ^^ 
was  greatly  needed.  There  had  been  a  ^'''  ^'*^'' 
decline  of  piety,  and  only  a  small  number  of  the 
Protestants  retained  their  interest  in  spiritual 
things.  Conversation  turned  not  so  much  on 
the  truths  of  the  Gospel  as  on  the  errors  of  the 
Armenian  Church ;  nor  so  much  on  these  as  on  the 
corruption  of  their  priesthood  and  the  exactions  of 
the  government.  All  were  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  Protestantism,  but  its  particular  charm  was  in 
its  promise  of  good  for  the  life  that  now  is.  There 
was  an  obvious  need  of  more  persecution. 

During  the  first  month,  Mr.  Bliss  preached  every 
evening  in  the  week,  and  twice  on  the  Sab-  ^  ^^^^^^ 
bath.     The  audiences  ranged  from  fifty  to  p«--««- 


20        AIISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

two  hundred  and  fifty,  and  there  were  increasing 
evidences  of  interest  in  the  preaching.  Then  came 
tribulation  because  of  the  word.  The  power  of 
wealth  and  political  influence  was  enlisted  against 
the  truth.  The  taxes  of  those  who  had  joined  the 
Protestant  community  were  more  than  doubled,  and 
those  who  could  not  or  would  not  pay  them,  were 
thrown  into  prison.  Indeed,  former  scenes  in  Con- 
stantinople were  now  repeated  in  Marsovau.  No 
mercy  was  shown,  except  on  the  one  condition  of 
leaving  the  Protestant  meetings.  When  day  after 
day  passed  and  brought  no  relief,  the  feeble  began 
to  yield.  One  by  one  they  made  their  submission  to 
the  Vartabed,  and  received  his  blessing.  Only  four 
stood  firm. 

But  now  the  Lord  sent  a  partial  deliverance,  in  an 
Unexpected  unexpcctcd  way.  An  authoritative  copy  of 
reuef.  ^^^  Sultau's  firman  was  sent  from  Constan- 

tinople, by  a  brother  who  was  ignorant  of  the  cir- 
cumstances. No  such  copy  had  before  reached  that 
part  of  the  interior,  so  that  any  official  who  pleased 
could  ignore  its  existence.  The  news  of  its  arrival 
brought  out  the  affrighted  Protestants  from  their 
hiding-places.  Many  whose  sympathies  were  with 
them,  were  as  joyful  as  themselves.  Before  night 
five  or  six,  who  had  submitted  to  the  Vartabed,  bore 
to  him  a  written  recantation  of  what  they  had  done  ; 
and  he,  having  heard  of  the  firman,  received  the 
recantation  and  was  silent.     After  that  there  was 


THE  ARMENIANS.  21 

comparative  peace,  and  the   number  attending   on 
the  preaching-  of  the  missionary  increased. 

I  have  dwelt  on  these  developments  at  Marsovan, 
as  an  illustration  of  what,  in  various  de-  Avherefore 

.  this  state- 

grees,  vras  experienced  in  other  places  at  ment. 
this  stage  in  the  reformation ;  as  in  Marash,  Kessab, 
Demirdesh,  and  Adana. 

Mr.  Wood,  of  this  mission,  being  detained  in  the 
United  States  by  the  failure  of  his  wife's  yaHous  no- 
health,  was  elected,  in  1852,  a  Correspond-  ^^'"'^' 
ing  Secretary  of  the  Board,  to  reside  in  the  city  of 
New  York.  The  widow  of  Dr.  Azariah  Smith  had 
remained  in  active  labors  at  Aintab,  but  disease  now 
obliged  her  to  retire  from  the  field.  Miss  Maria  A. 
West  took  charge,  with  Mrs.  Everett,  of  the  girls' 
boarding-school  at  Constantinople;  and  Miss  Mel- 
vina  Haynes,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Everett,  gave  herself 
to  a  species  of  labor  among  Armenian  females, 
which  has  since  risen  to  importance  in  the  mission- 
ary field,  Mrs.  George  B.  Nutting  died  at  Aintab, 
July  9,  1854. 

In  the  Reports  of  the  Prudential  Committee  to 
the  Board  for  1852  and  1853,  a  hundred  important 
towns  and  villages  are  named,  into  which  the  refor- 
mation had  gained  entrance. 

Pastor  Simon,  of  the  first  church  in  Constanti- 
nople, spent  a  summer  at  Aintab ;  but  his  Missions  by 

native  pas- 

absence  was  the  occasion  of  serious  injury  tors. 

to  his  own  charge;    and  so  it   was   at  Adabazar. 


22      MISSIONS  TO  THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Pastor  Hohannes,  of  that  church,  with  teacher 
Simon,  of  Nicomedia,  devoted  eight  months  to  a 
missionary  tour  through  Asia  Minor.  Their  course 
was  hy  way  of  Smyrna  and  Beirut,  to  Kessab, 
Aleppo,  Killis,  Aintab,  Marash,  Oorfa,  Albestan,  Ces- 
area,  Marsovan,  and  Samsun ;  thence  by  steamer  to 
Trebizond ;  thence  to  Erzroom,  Khauoos,  Moosh, 
Van,  Bitlis,  and  back  again  through  Diarbekir, 
Harpoot,  Arabkir,  Egin,  Divrik,  Sivas,  Tokat,  Am- 
asia,  Marsovan,  and  Samsun.  An  inspection  of  the 
map  will  show  that  these  brethren  traversed  Asia 
Minor  by  three  lines,  visiting  all  its  most  important 
places.  They  spent  a  considerable  time  in  many  of 
them,  and  everywhere  found  ready  listeners  to  their 
message.  In  numerous  places  there  were  inquirers, 
who  needed  only  leaders  to  withstand  the  fire  of 
persecution. 

The  mission  suffered  a  sore  bereavement  in  the 
Death  of  death  of  Mrs.  Everett  at  Constantinople, 
Mrs.Everett.  j^  December,  1854.  She  possessed  a  trans- 
parent and  beautiful  character,  with  eminent  capac- 
DeathofMr  ^^J  ^^^'  uscfulness.^  Mr.  Benjamin  also  died 
Benjamin.  ^^  Constautinoplc,  thc  next  year,  at  the  age 
of  forty-four.  He  was  nine  years  in  the  mission  to 
Greece.  His  labors  in  the  Armenian  Mission,  —  first 
at  Smyrna,  and  then  at  Constantinople,  —  were 
mainly  through  the  press,  in  which  he  was  eminently 

1  See  The  Missionary  Sisters,  —  Mrs.  Everett  and  Mrs.  Hamlin,  — 
written  by  Mrs.  Benjamin. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  23 

useful.  He  had  a  clear  conviction,  in  devoting  bis 
life  to  giving  the  Armenians  an  evangelical  litera- 
ture, that  he  was  doing  the  work  to  which  his  Master 
called  him.  Nor  did  he  overrate  the  importance  of 
this  branch  of  the  work.  His  missionary  experience 
in  another  field  was  of  much  value  in  guarding  him 
against  mistakes.  At  Pera,  in  addition  to  his  liter- 
ary labors,  he  preached  statedly  in  modern  Greek  to 
a  small  congregation.^ 

1  See  an  obituary  notice  of  Mr.  Benjamin  in  the  Missionary  Herald 
for  1855,  pp.  142-147. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  ARMENIANS. 

1855-1860. 
Theke  are  times  when  the  movements  of  armies 
The  Crimean  ^^'^  evideutlj  made  subservient,  in  divine 
Ter^nt'to  Providcuce,  to  the  progress  of  the  Gospel ; 
°^^^ '  and  the  history  of  missions  to  the  Oriental 
Churches  would  be  imperfect  without  some  notice 
of  the  Crimean  war  of  1854  and  1855.  The  histo- 
rian of  that  war  has  shown,  that  it  originated  in  the 
desire  of  Nicholas,  Czar  of  Russia,  to  secure  certain 
origiaofthe  "g^ts  in  thc  "  liolj  placcs  "  at  Jerusalem 
'^^'■'  (in  which  he  was  opposed  by  the  Roman 

Catholic  government  of  France),  and  to  obtain  a 
formal  recognition  of  himself  as  protector  of  the 
millions  in  Turkey  professing  the  Greek  religion.^ 
But  for  the  seasonable  return  to  Constantinople  of 
Lord  Stratford  de  Redcliffe  in  1853,  there  is  reason 
Providential    ^^  fcar,  that  thc  extraordinary  persistence 

interposition.    ^^  ^j^^    q^^^,     jj^j^i^^.    ^y^yQ    bgCU     SUCCCSsful, 

1  See  volume  first  of  Eanglake's  Invasion  of  the  Crimea.  He  de- 
scribes very  minutely  how  the  English  nation  was  drawn  into  the 
war  ;  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  go  into  that  subject  here.  The  nation 
was  doubtless  much  influenced  by  its  desire  to  uphold  the  Turkish 
government  in  order  to  keep  open  its  communication  with  India. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  25 

and  that  the  protectorate  would  have  been  used  to 
destroy  the  evangelical  missions.^ 

The  author  was  in  the  interior  of  Asia  Minor  a 
short  time  while  the  Crimean  war  was  in  pj^babie 
progress,  and  heard  of  reports  among  the  of  rST 
people,  —  circulated,  as  was  believed,  by 
Russian  agents,  —  that  if  Nicholas  were  victorious, 
he  would  secure  the  withdrawal  from  Turkey  of 
Protestant  missionaries.  Exasperation  caused  by 
the  failure  of  his  negotiations  with  the  Sultan, 
brought  on  the  war ;  and  the  fall  of  Sebastopol  was 
a  more  direct  benefit  to  the  missions,  than  Effect  of  the 

fall  of  Sebas- 

it  was  to  the  nations  that  fought  against  topoi. 

it.     But  for  the  result  then   obtained,  at  vast  ex- 

1  Some  idea  of  the  spirit  in  which  such  a  protectorate  might  have 
been  exercised,  may  be  obtained  from  two  out  of  a  number  of  kindred 
articles  of  the  Russian  Penal  Law  : 

"Article  206.  Whoever  is  found  guilty  of  having  induced  others  to 
secede  from  the  Greek  Orthodox  Confession,  and  to  join  another 
Christian  Church,  will  be  condemned  to  the  loss  of  the  rights  of  his 
social  position,  to  transportation  to  Tobolsk  or  Tomsk  (Siberia),  or 
to  the  punishment  of  the  lash,  and  one  or  two  years  of  imprisonment 
in  the  house  of  correction. 

"  Article  207.  "Whoever  endeavors,  by  preaching  or  writing,  to  se- 
duce members  of  the  Orthodox  Church  to  join  any  other  Christian 
community,  will  be  punished  the  first  time,  with  the  loss  of  some  of  his 
special  rights,  and  imprisonment  for  one  or  two  years  in  a  house  of 
correction;  the  second  time,  with  imprisonment  in  a  fortress' from 
four  to  six  years ;  the  third  time,  with  the  loss  of  all  his  personal  and 
social  civil  rights  and  status,  and  transportation  for  life  to  Tobolsk  or 
Tomsk  (Siberia),  with  imprisonment  of  one  or  two  years." — New 
York  06sen;er  for  August,  1871. 


26      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

peuse  of  treasure  and  life,  very  different  might  liave 
been  the  prospect  of  a  successful  republication  of 
the  Gospel  in  Bible  lauds. 

The   number   of    missionaries   in   the   Armenian 
The  mission    ^issiou  iu  1855,  was  twenty-six.     One  of 

I  »"» 1855.  these  was  an  ordained  physician,  and  there 
was  a  physician  unordained.  There  were  twenty- 
eight  female  assistant  missionaries,  three  of  whom 
were  unmarried.  Of  the  Armenian  helpers,  thir- 
teen were  pastors  and  preachers,  and  sixty-four 
were  lay-helpers.  The  stations,  —  called  such  be- 
cause missionaries  resided  at  them,  —  were  fourteen. 
Twelve  of  these  were  north  of  the  Taurus,  and  two 
were  south  of  that  range. 

Constantinople,   Tocat,   and   Aintab   had   each  a 

,  -  training-school   for    native  preachers  and 

Schools.  °  ^ 

helpers,  and  there  was  also  a  girls'  board- 
ing-school at  Constantinople ;  and  thirty-eight  free 
schools  were  scattered  over  the  field.  Nine  years 
after  the  organization  of  the  first  evangelical 
Church  or-  church,  tlic  numbcr  of  churchcs  was  twcu- 
;  ganization  ^y.^iiree.  Thc  church  at  Aintab  was  the 
largest,  containing  one  hundred  and  forty-one  mem- 
bers. Kessab,  a  long  day's  journey  south  of  An- 
tioch,  where  no  missionary  had  ever  resided,  had  a 
church  of  forty-one  members.  The  first  edifice  for 
Church  Christian  worship  in  the  Ottoman  Empire, 
building.       erected    on    a   new    site,    was    the   stone 


THE  ARMENIANS.  27 

church  at  Aintab.  Prior  to  this,  Christians  had 
only  been  allowed  to  repair  their  old  churches,  and  to 
rebuild  ou  the  old  sites.  The  obtaining  of  this  new 
indulgence  was  probably  owing,  in  a  measure,  to  the 
influence  of  the  Crimean  war.  The  dedication  ser- 
vice, early  in  1855,  was  attended  by  more  than 
twelve  hundred  persons,  and  more  than  eleven  hun- 
dred were  present  on  the  following  Sabbath. 

The  printing  reported  for  this  year  amounted  to 
thirty-five  thousand  volumes,  and  nearly  The  print- 
five  million's  of  pages,  in  the  Armenian,  ""^ 
Armeno-Turkish,  Greek,  Greco-Turkish,  and  He- 
brew-Spanish, but  chiefly  in  Armenian.  A  religious 
periodical  was  issued  every  two  months  called  the 
"  Avedaper,"  or  "  Messenger."  Dr.  Dwight  was 
editor  of  this,  but  the  general  supervision  of  the 
press,  after  the  decease  of  Mr.  Benjamin,  devolved 
ou  Dr.  Riggs. 

Octavo  and  duodecimo  editions  of  the  Armenian 
Bible  were  going   through  the  press,  as  Editions  of 

the  Scrip- 
was  also  an  octavo  Bible  in  Greco-Turkish.  t"ies. 

The  New  Testament  had  been  issued  in  the  ancient 
Armenian,  in  the  Ararat  dialect  or  Eastern  Arme- 
nian, in  the  Ararat  and  Ancient  Armenian  in  paral- 
lel columns,  in  the  Greco-Turkish,  and  in  the  Arme- 
no-Turkish. The  Gospel  of  Matthew  was  issued  in 
the  Koordish  language,  and  the  Psalms  in  the  Bul- 
garian. A  demand  for  the  Bible  in  the  Turkish 
language  came  from  almost  every  part  of  the  em- 
pire. 


28      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

The  book  depositoiy  was  removed  from  Pera 
The  book  across  the  Golden  Horn  into  the  old  city 
depository,  ^f  Coustautinoplc,  and  the  Moslems  made 
no  objection.  More  than  twenty  boxes  of  books 
were  sent  to  a  single  place  in  the  interior  within 
the  space  of  a  year  and  a  half.  At  one  time  two 
boxes  were  ready  for  Diarbekir,  one  for  Cesarea,  one 
for  Aintab,  and  another  for  Jernsalem. 

In  this  work  the  misssion  was  liberally  aided  by 
Aid  from  *^^  American,  and  the  British  and  Foreign 
abroad.  ^i\)\e  Socictics,  by  the  Loudon  Religious 
Tract  Society,  the  American  Tract  Society,  and  more 
recently  by  the  Turkish  Missions  Aid  Society.  Mr. 
Barker,  agent  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  and  the  Rev.  C.  N.  Righter,  of  the  Ameri- 
can Bible  Society  (who  died  not  long  after  at  Diar- 
bekir), did  much  to  promote  the  work  of  Bible  dis- 
tribution in  the  countries  around  the  Mediterranean 
and  Black  Seas;  and  the  Constantinople  Bible 
Society  employed  a  French  and  English  col  porter 
among  the  soldiers  of  the  allied  powers.  More 
Bibles  and  religious  books  went  into  the  hands  of 
Mohammedans  from  the  depository  of  the  mission 
during  the  years  1854  and  1855,  than  in  all  the  pre- 
vious years  of  its  existence.  Twenty  thousand  cop- 
ies of  the  Bible  were  scattered  through  Turkey  in 
that  space  of  time. 

The  transfer  of  Dr.  Riggs  to  the  department  of 
Greek  stu-      the  Prcss  made  it  necessary  to  suspend  the 

dents  in  the- 

oio«.v,  Greek  department  in  the  Seminary  at  Be- 


THE  ARMENIANS.  29 

bek,  and  four  of  the  six  Greek  pupils  were  sent  to 
Dr.  King-  at  Athens. ^  Another  became  a  teacher 
in  Demirdesh,  and  another  went  to  the  United  States 
to  complete  his  professional  studies. 

Five  Armenian    students    had   been   licensed    to 
preach,  and   sent  to  Adrianople,   Cesarea, 
Sivas,    Diarbekir,   and    Kessab.     Another, 
having-  the  ministry  in  prospect,  was  a  teacher  in 
the  new  training-school  at   Tocat,  under  Mr.  Van 
Lennep.     A  similar  school  existed  at  Aintab. 

The  accession  of  missionaries  from  1855  to  1860 
was  as  follows  :    In  1855,  Orson  P.  Allen ;  Accession 

of  mission- 

in  1856,  George  A.  Pollard,  Tillman  C.  aries. 
Trowbridge,  and  Misses  Mary  E.  Tenney  and  Sarah 
E.  West ;  in  1857,  Crosby  H.  Wheeler,  Charles  F. 
Morse,  Oliver  W.  Winchester,  Jackson  G.  Coffing, 
George  H.  White,  and  Julius  Y.  Leonard;  in  1858, 
Theodore  Byington,  George  Washburn,  and  William 
Hutchinson  ;  and  Herman  N.  Barnum,  who,  being 
at  Constantinople  as  a  traveller,  made  an  oflFer  of  his 
services,  which  was  accepted  in  this  year ;  in  1859, 
William  W.  Meriam,  Joseph  K.  Greene,  James  F. 
Clarke,  George  F.  Herrick,  and  Henry  S.  West, 
M.  D.,  and  Miss  Myra  A.  Proctor ;  in  1860,  Alvan 
B.  Goodale,  M.  D.,  William  F.  Arms,  Zenas  Goss, 
William  W.  Livingston,  and  Lysander  T.  Burbank. 

1  The  author  regrets  being  obliged  to  say,  that  these  all  disappointed 
the  expectations  of  their  benefactors. 


30       MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Messrs.  Washburn,  Trowbridge,  Pettibone,  Barnum, 
Herrick,  and  Goss  came  to  the  mission  unmarried; 
Mr.  Washburn  afterwards  married  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  Hamlin,  Mr.  Barnum  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Good- 
ell,  and  Mr.  Trowbridge  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Riggs. 

Mr.  Everett,  a  devoted  servant  of  Christ,  was 
Death  of  called  to  his  rest  on  the  5th  of  March,  1856, 
Mr.  Eyerett.  ^f^^j.  ^  gickncss  of  a  fcw  days.  His  orphan 
children  returned  to  the  United  States  in  charge 
of  Miss  Haynes,  the  sister  of  their  mother.  Messrs. 
Isaac  G.  Bliss  and  Edwin  Goodell,  in  consequence 
Misceiiane-  ®^  ^^^  failurc  of  health,  were  released  from 
0U3  notices,  ^j^^j^.  councction  with  the  Board.  The 
former  afterwards  recovered  his  health,  and  re- 
turned to  Turkey  as  agent  of  the  American  Bible 
Society,  in  which  capacity  he  has  rendered  very 
valuable  service.  Antioch  and  Aleppo  were  trans- 
ferred from  the  Syrian  to  the  Armenian  Mission. 
At  Erzroom  the  war  drove  away,  not  only  the 
church-members,  but  most  of  those  who  were  inter- 
ested in  the  truth.  Mr.  Richardson  removed  to 
Arabkir  to  supply  the  place  of  Mr.  Clark,  who  had 
been  called  to  the  seminary  at  Bebek ;  left  without  a 
teacher  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Everett  and  the  tempo- 
rary absence  of  Dr.  Hamlin.  At  Marash,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  war  and  the  proximity  of  the  rough 
mountaineers  of  Zeitoon,  the  missionaries  were  at 
one  time  in  no  small  danger. 

The  beheading  of  a  young   Armenian,  who  had 


THE  ARMENIANS.  31 

rashly  declared  himself  a  Mohammedan,  and  then  re- 
pented of  his  rashness,  and  the  consequent  ^^^^^^^  ^g- 
successful  efforts  of  Sir  Stratford  Canning,  it'deam""' 
in  procuring"  a  pledge  from  the  Sultan  ^^°^  ^ 
that  no  person  should  be  persecuted  in  Turkey  for 
his  religious  opinions,  were  described  in  the  first 
volume.!  This  was  in  1843  and  1844.  Ten  or 
eleven  years  later,  there  was  another  beheading  at 
Adrianople  for  a  like  cause,  and  another  at  Aleppo ; 
and  the  same  high-minded  statesman  was  again 
aroused  to  effort,  not  only  for  a  more  effectual  abro- 
gation of  the  death  penalty  itself,  but  to  obtain  for 
the  Protestant  Christians  freedom  from  persecution, 
and  for  the  Christians  generally  the  privileges  that 
were  enjoyed  by  their  fellow-subjects  of  the  Moslem 
religion.  The  eighty  folio  pages  of  documents  on 
the  subject,  which  were  presented  to  both  Houses 
of  Parliament  in  1856,  form  an  important  and  inter- 
esting chapter  in  the  history  of  those  times.  The 
principal  writers,  in  addition  to  Lord  Stratford  de 
Redcliffe  and  the  Earl  of  Clarendon,  were  the  Earl 
of  Shaftesbury,  Lord  Cowley,  Sir  Culling  Eardley 
Eardley,  President  of  the  Turkish  Missions  Aid 
Society,  the  Rev.  Cuthbert  G.  Young,  its  Secretary, 
and  Mehemet  Fuad. 

As  the  result  of  all,  a  Hatti  Humaioun,  or  Impe- 
rial  Firman,  was  issued  by  the  Sultan  in  ^^^  g^^^j 
February,  1856.     When  read  in  public,  the  ^"'"*'""" 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  135. 


32     3IISSI0NS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Sheik  el  Islam,  the  hig-hest  Moslem  ecclesiastic,  in- 
voked the  divine  blessing  on  the  Imperial  Edict; 
but  probably  without  an  apprehension,  either  by 
himself  or  by  his  government,  of  the  full  significance 
of  the  instrument.  By  many  of  the  Mohammedans 
it  was  regarded  as  opening  the  door  for  them  to  be- 
come Christians.  Not  a  few  of  the  Armenians  and 
Greeks  were  displeased  with  it  as  favoring  Protes- 
tantism ;  and  this  fact  did  not  escape  the  sagacity 
of  Mohammedans. 

The  Imperial  Rescript,  as  translated  from  the 
French,  is  as  follows :  — 

"  Let  it  be  done  as  herein  set  forth. 

"  To  you,  my  Grand  Vizier,  Mehemed  Emin  Aali 
Pasha,  decorated  with  my  Imperial  Order  of  the 
Medjidiye  of  the  first  class,  and  with  the  Order  of 
Personal  Merit ;  may  God  grant  to  you  greatness, 
and  increase  your  power  ! 

"  It  has  always  been  my  most  earnest  desire  to 
insure  the  happiness  of  all  classes  of  the  subjects 
whom  divine  Providence  has  placed  under  my  im- 
perial sceptre  ;  and  since  my  accession  to  the  throne 
I  have  not  ceased  to  direct  all  my  efi'orts  to  the 
attainment  of  that  end. 

"  Thanks  to  the  Almighty,  these  unceasing  efforts 
have  already  been  productive  of  numerous  useful 
results.  From  day  to  day  the  happiness  of  the 
nation  and  the  wealth  of  my  dominions  go  on  aug- 
menting. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  33 

"  It  being  now  my  desire  to  renew  and  enlarge 
still  more  the  new  institutions,  ordained  with  the 
view  of  establishing  a  state  of  things  conformable 
with  the  dignity  of  my  empire  and  the  position 
which  it  occupies  among  civilized  nations;  and  the 
rights  of  my  empire  having,  by  the  fidelity  and 
praiseworthy  efforts  of  all  my  subjects,  and  by  the 
kind  and  friendly  assistance  of  the  great  powers, 
my  noble  Allies,  received  from  abroad  a  confirmation 
which  will  be  the  commencement  of  a  new  era,  it  is 
my  desire  to  augment  its  well-being  and  prosperity, 
to  effect  the  happiness  of  all  my  subjects,  who  in 
my  sight  are  all  equal  and  equally  dear  to  me,  and 
who  are  united  to  each  other  by  the  cordial  ties  of 
patriotism,  and  to  insure  the  means  of  daily  increas- 
ing the  prosperity  of  my  empire.  I  have,  therefore, 
resolved  upon,  and  I  order  the  execution  of,  the 
following  measures. 

"  The  guaranties  promised  on  our  part  by  the 
Hatti-Humaioun  of  Gul-Hane,  and  in  conformity 
with  the  Tanzimat,  to  all  the  subjects  of  my  empire, 
without  distinction  of  classes  or  of  religion,  for  the 
security  of  their  persons  and  property  and  the  pres- 
ervation of  their  honor,  are  to-day  confirmed  and 
consolidated ;  and  efficacious  measures  shall  be 
taken  in  order  that  they  may  have  their  full  and 
entire  effect. 

"All  the  privileges  and  spiritual  immunities 
granted  by  my  ancestors  ah  antiquo,  and  at  subse- 


34      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

quent  dates,  to  all  Christian  communities  or  other 
non-Mussulman  persuasions  established  in  my  em- 
pire under  my  protection,  shall  be  confirmed  and 
maintained. 

"  Every  Christian  or  other  non-Mussulman  com- 
munity shall  be  bound,  within  a  fixed  period,  and 
with  the  concurrence  of  a  commission  composed  ad 
hoc  of  members  of  its  own  body,  to  proceed,  with  my 
hig-h  approbation  and  under  the  inspection  of  my 
Sublime  Porte,  to  examine  into  its  actual  immunities 
and  privileges,  and  to  discuss  and  submit  to  my  Sub- 
lime Porte  the  reforms  required  by  the  progress  of 
civilization  and  of  the  age.  The  powers  conceded 
to  the  Christian  Patriarchs  and  Bishops  by  the  Sul- 
tan Mahomet  II.  and  his  successors,  shall  be  made 
to  harmonize  with  the  new  position  which  my  gen- 
erous and  beneficent  intentions  insure  to  these 
communities. 

"  The  principle  of  nominating  the  Patriarchs  for 
life,  after  the  revision  of  the  rules  of  election  now  in 
force,  shall  be  exactly  carried  out,  conformably  to 
the  tenor  of  their  firmans  of  investiture. 

"  The  Patriarchs,  Metropolitans,  Archbishops, 
Bishops  and  Rabbins  shall  take  an  oath  on  their 
entrance  into  office,  according  to  a  form  agreed 
upon  in  common  by  my  Sublime  Porte  and  the 
spiritual  heads  of  the  different  religious  commu- 
nities. The  ecclesiastical  dues,  of  whatever  sort  or 
nature  they  be,  shall  be  abolished,  and  replaced  by 


THE  ARMENIANS.  35 

fixed  revenues  for  the  Patriarchs  and  heads  of  com- 
munities, and  by  the  allocation  of  allowances  and 
salaries  equitably  proportioned  to  the  importance 
of  the  rank,  and  the  dignity  of  the  different  mem- 
bers of  the  clerg-y. 

"  The  property,  real  or  personal,  of  the  different 
Christian  ecclesiastics  shall  remain  intact ;  the  tem- 
poral administration  of  the  Christian  or  other  non- 
Mussulman  communities  shall,  however,  be  placed 
under  the  safeguard  of  an  assembly  to  be  chosen 
from  among  the  members,  both  ecclesiastics  and 
laymen,  of  the  said  communities. 

"  In  the  towns,  small  boroughs,  and  villages, 
where  the  whole  population  is  of  the  same  religion, 
no  obstacle  shall  be  offered  to  the  repair,  according 
to  their  original  plan,  of  buildings  set  apart  for  re- 
ligious worship,  for  schools,  for  hospitals  and  for 
cemeteries. 

"  The  plans  of  these  different  buildings,  in  case  of 
their  new  erection,  must,  after  having  been  approved 
by  the  Patriarchs  or  heads  of  communities,  be  sub- 
mitted to  my  Sublime  Porte,  which  will  approve  of 
them  by  my  imperial  order,  or  make  known  its 
observation  upon  them  within  a  certain  time. 

"  Each  sect,  in  localities  where  there  are  no  other 
religious  denominations,  shall  be  free  from  every 
species  of  restraint  as  regards  the  public  exercise 
of  its  religion. 

"  In  the  towns,   small  boroughs,   and   villages. 


36      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

where  different  sects  are  mingled  together,  each 
community  inhabiting  a  distinct  quarter  shall,  by 
conforming  to  the  above-mentioned  ordinances, 
have  equal  power  to  repair  and  improve  its  churches, 
its  hospitals,  its  schools,  and  its  cemeteries.  When 
there  is  question  of  the  erection  of  new  buildings, 
the  necessary  authority  must  be  asked  for,  through 
the  medium  of  the  Patriarchs  and  heads  of  commu- 
nities, from  my  Sublime  Porte,  which  will  pronounce 
a  sovereign  decision  according  to  that  authority, 
except  in  the  case  of  administrative  obstacles.  The 
intervention  of  the  administrative  authority, in  all 
measures  of  this  nature  will  be  entirely  gratuitous. 
My  Sublime  Porte  will  take  energetic  measures  to 
insure  to  each  sect,  whatever  be  the  number  of  its 
adherents,  entire  freedom  in  the  exercise  of  its 
religion. 

"Every  distinction  or  designation  tending  to  make 
any  class  whatever  of  the  subjects  of  ray  empire 
inferior  to  another  class,  on  account  of  their  relig- 
ion, language,  or  race,  shall  be  forever  effaced  from 
the  administrative  protocol.  The  laws  shall  be  put 
in  force  against  the  use  of  any  injurious  or  offensive 
term,  either  among  private  individuals  or  on  the 
part  of  the  authorities. 

"  As  all  forms  of  religion  are  and  shall  be  freely 
professed  in  my  dominions,  no  subject  of  my  empire 
shall  be  hindered  in  the  exercise  of  the  religion  that 
he  professes,  nor  shall  be  in  any  way  annoyed  on  this 


THE  ARMENIANS.  37 

account.  No  one  shall  be  compelled  to  change  their 
religion. 

*'  The  nomination  and  choice  of  all  functionaries 
and  other  employes  of  my  empire  being  wholly  de- 
pendent upon  my  sovereign  will,  all  the  subjects  of 
my  empire,  without  distinction  of  nationality,  shall 
be  admissible  to  public  employments,  and  qualified 
to  fill  them  according  to  their  capacity  and  merit, 
and  conformably  with  rules  to  be  generally  applied. 

"  All  the  subjects  of  my  empire,  without  distinc- 
tion, shall  be  received  into  the  civil  and  military 
schools  of  the  government,  if  they  otherwise  satisfy 
the  conditions  as  to  age  and  examination  which  are 
specified  in  the  organic  regulations  of  the  said 
schools.  Moreover,  every  community  is  authorized 
to  establish  public  schools  of  science,  art,  and  indus- 
try. Only  the  method  of  instruction  and  the  choice 
of  professors  in  schools  of  this  class  shall  be  under 
the  control  of  a  mixed  council  of  public  instruction, 
the  members  of  which  shall  be  named  by  my  sover- 
eign command. 

"  All  commercial,  correctional,  and  criminal  suits 
between  Mussulmans  and  Christian  or  other  non- 
Mussulman  subjects,  or  between  Christians  or  other 
non-Mussulmans  of  difierent  sects,  shall  be  referred 
to  mixed  tribunals. 

"  The  proceedings  of  these  tribunals  shall  be  pub- 
lic ;  the  parties  shall  be  confronted,  and  shall  pro- 
duce their  witnesses,  whose  testimony  shall  be  re- 


38     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

ceived,  without  distinction,  upon  an  oath  taken  ac- 
cording" to  the  relig-ious  law  of  each  sect. 

*'  Suits  relating  to  civil  affairs  shall  continue  to  be 
publicly  tried,  according  to  the  laws  and  regulations 
before  the  mixed  provincial  councils,  in  the  presence 
of  the  governor  and  judge  of  the  place.  Special 
civil  proceedings,  such  as  those  relating  to  succes- 
sions or  others  of  that  kind,  between  subjects  of  the 
same  Christian  or  other  non-Mussulman  faith,  may, 
at  the  request  of  the  parties,  be  sent  before  the 
councils  of  the  Patriarchs  or  of  the  communities. 

"  Penal,  correctional,  and  commercial  laws,  and 
rules  of  procedure  for  the  mixed  tribunals,  shall  be 
drawn  up  as  soon  as  possible,  and  formed  into  a  code. 
Translations  of  them  shall  be  published  in  all  the 
languages  current  in  the  empire. 

"  Proceedings  shall  be  taken  with  as  little  delay  as 
possible,  for  the  reform  of  the  penitentiary  system 
as  applied  to  houses  of  detention,  punishment,  or 
correction,  and  other  establishments  of  like  nature, 
so  as  to  reconcile  the  rights  of  humanity  with  those 
of  justice.  Corporal  punishment  shall  not  be  ad- 
ministered, even  in  the  prisons,  except  in  conformity 
with  the  disciplinary  regulations  established  by  my 
Sublime  Porte ;  and  everything  that  resembles  tor- 
ture shall  be  entirely  abolished. 

"  Infractions  of  the  law  in  this  particular  shall  be 
severely  repressed,  and  shall  besides  entail,  as  of 
right,  the  punishment,  in  conformity  with  the  civil 


THE  ARMENIANS.  39 

code,  of  the  authorities  who  may  order,  and  of  the 
agents  who  may  commit  them. 

"  The  organization  of  the  police  in  the  capital,  in 
the  provincial  towns,  and  in  the  rural  districts,  shall 
be  revised  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  to  all  the 
peaceable  subjects  of  my  empire  the  strongest  guar- 
anties for  the  safety  both  of  their  persons  and  prop- 
erty. 

"The  equality  of  taxes  entailing  equality  of  bur- 
dens, as  equality  of  duties  entails  that  of  rights, 
Christian  subjects,  and  those  of  other  non-Mussul- 
man sects,  as  it  has  been  already  decided,  shall,  as 
well  as  Mussulmans,  be  subject  to  the  obligations  of 
the  Law  of  Recruitment.  The  principle  of  obtain- 
ing substitutes,  or  of  purchasing  exemption,  shall 
be  admitted.  A  complete  law  shall  be  published, 
with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  respecting  the  admis- 
sion into  and  service  in  the  army  of  Christian  and 
other  non-Mussulman  subjects. 

"  Proceedings  shall  be  taken  for  a  reform  in  the 
constitution  of  the  provincial  and  communal  coun- 
cils, in  order  to  insure  fairness  in  the  choice  of  the 
deputies  of  the  Mussulman,  Christian,  and  other 
communities,  and  freedom  of  voting  in  the  councils. 
My  Sublime  Porte  will  take  into  consideration  the 
adoption  of  the  most  effectual  means  for  ascertain- 
ing exactly  and  for  controlling  the  result  of  the  de- 
liberations of  the  decisipns  arrived  at. 

"  As  the  laws  regulating  the  purchase,  sale,  and 


40      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

disposal  of  real  property  are  common  to  all  the  sub- 
jects of  ray  empire,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  foreigners 
to  possess  landed  property  in  my  dominions,  con- 
forming- themselves  to  the  laws  and  police  regula- 
tions, and  bearing  the  same  charges  as  the  native 
inhabitants,  and  after  arrangements  have  been  come 
to  with  foreign  powers. 

"  The  taxes  are  to  be  levied  under  the  same  de- 
nomination from  all  the  subjects  of  my  empire, 
without  distinction  of  class  or  of  religion.  The 
most  prompt  and  energetic  means  for  remedying  the 
abuses  in  collecting  the  taxes,  and  especially  the 
tithes,  shall  be  considered.  The  system  of  direct 
collection  shall  gradually,  and  as  soon  as  possible, 
be  substituted  for  the  plan  of  farming,  in  all  the 
branches  of  the  revenues  of  the  State.  As  long  as 
the  present  system  remains  in  force,  all  agents  of 
the  government  and  all  members  of  the  medjlis  shall 
be  forbidden,  under  the  severest  penalties,  to  become 
lessees  of  any  farming  contracts  which  are  announced 
for  public  competition,  or  to  have  any  beneficial  in- 
terest in  carrying  them  out.  The  local  taxes  shall, 
as  far  as  possible,  be  so  imposed  as  not  to  affect  the 
sources  of  production,  or  to  hinder  the  progress  of 
internal  commerce. 

"Works  of  public  utility  shall  receive  a  suitable 
endowment,  part  of  which  shall  be  raised  from  pri- 
vate and  special  taxes,  levied  in  the  provinces  which 
shall  have  the  benefit  of  the  advantages  arising  from 


THE  ARMENIANS.  41 

the  establishment  of  ways  of  communication  by  land 
and  sea. 

"  A  special  law  having  been  already  passed,  which 
declares  that  the  budget  of  the  revenue  and  expen- 
diture of  the  state  shall  be  drawn  up  and  made 
known  every  year,  the  said  law  shall  be  most  scrupu- 
lously observed.  Proceedings  shall  be  taken  for  re- 
vising the  emoluments  attached  to  each  office. 

"  The  heads  of  each  community  and  a  delegate, 
designated  by  my  Sublime  Porte,  shall  be  summoned 
to  take  part  in  the  deliberations  of  the  Supreme 
Council  of  Justice  on  all  occasions  which  might  in- 
terest the  generality  of  the  subjects  of  my  empire. 
They  shall  be  summoned  specially  for  this  purpose 
by  my  Grand  Vizier.  The  delegates  shall  hold  office 
for  one  year ;  they  shall  be  sworn  on  entering  upon 
their  duties.  All  the  members  of  the  council,  at 
the  ordinary  and  extraordinary  meetings,  shall  freely 
give  their  opinions  and  their  votes,  and  no  one  shall 
ever  annoy  them  on  this  account. 

"  The  laws  against  corruption,  extortion,  or  mal- 
versation, shall  apply,  according  to  the  legal  forms, 
to  all  the  subjects  of  my  empire,  whatever  may  be 
their  class  and  the  nature  of  their  duties. 

"  Steps  shall  be  taken  for  the  formation  of  banks 
and  other  similar  institutions,  so  as  to  effect  a  reform 
in  the  monetary  and  financial  system,  as  well  as  to 
create  funds  to  be  employed  in  augmenting  the 
sources  of  the  material  wealth  of  my  empire. 


42     MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

"Steps  shall  also  be  taken  for  the  formation  of 
roads  and  canals  to  increase  the  facilities  of  com- 
munication and  increase  the  sources  of  the  wealth 
of  the  country.  Everything*  that  can  impede  com- 
merce or  agriculture  shall  be  abolished.  To  accom- 
plish these  objects,  means  shall  be  sought  to  profit 
by  the  science,  the  art,  and  the  funds  of  Europe,  and 
thus  gradually  to  execute  them. 

"  Such  being  my  wishes  and  my  commands,  you, 
who  are  my  Grand  Vizier,  will,  according  to  custom, 
cause  this  Imperial  Firman  to  be  published  in  my 
capital,  and  in  all  parts  of  my  empire ;  and  you  will 
watch  attentively  and  take  all  the  necessary  measures 
that  all  the  orders  which  it  contains  be  henceforth 
carried  out  with  the  most  rigorous  punctuality." 

Lord  Stratford,  in  replying  to  a  congratulatory 
address  from  the  missionaries,  declared  his 

How  re- 

wd^strat-     agreement  with  them  in  the  opinion,  that 
^°''^'  something  great  had  been  gained  ;  though 

he  believed  the  principles  involved  would  require 
persevering  efforts  to  carry  them  into  practice.  He 
said  that  he  was  himself  but  an  humble  instrument 
in  the  hands  of  divine  Providence,  and  that  he  had 
never  felt  the  hand  of  God  so  sensibly  in  any  other 
measure  he  had  carried  through,  as  in  this,  which, 
after  he  had  given  it  up  for  lost,  had  succeeded  all 
at  once,  in  a  way  that  filled  him  with  astonishment.^ 
1  That  the  Hatti  Humaioun  was  really  intended  to  include  the  death 


THE  ARMENIANS.  43 

The  plenipotentiaries  of  Great  Britain,  Austria, 
France,  Russia,  Sardinia,  and  Turkey,  as-  Recognized 

in  the  treaty 

seinbled  in  February,  1856,  at  the  close  of  of  fans. 
the  Crimean  war,  to  negotiate  what  is  known  as  the 
Treaty  of  Paris.  It  is  evident  from  the  Protocols  of 
their  Conference,  that,  having  the  Earl  of  Clarendon 
and  Lord  Cowley  among  them,  they  were  intent  on 
giving  weight  and  perpetuity  to  this  firman  of  the 

penalty,  is  made  exceedingly  probable  by  the  official  correspondence 
■which  preceded  it,  and  which  was  in  fact  its  procuring  J""!^^^  '^f 
cause.    Only  a  few  brief  extracts  can  be  given  in  this  note,    ty- 

Keferring  to  the  punishment  of  death  as  applied  to  apostates  from 
Islamism,  the  Earl  of  Clarendon,  English  Minister  of  Foreign  Affiiirs, 
writes  thus  to  Lord  Stratford  de  RedclifFe :  "  As  the  Turkish  empire 
is,  by  treaty  stipulations,  to  be  declared  part  and  parcel  of  the  Euro- 
pean system,  it  is  quite  impossible  for  the  powers  of  Europe  to  acquiesce 
in  the  continuance  in  Turkey  of  a  law,  and  a  practice,  which  is  a 
standing  insult  to  every  other  nation  in  Europe." 

Again,  on  the  I7th  of  September,  1853,  the  Earl  of  Clarendon  writes 
thus  to  Lord  Stratford ;  "  Her  Majesty's  Government  distinctly  de- 
mands that  no  punishment  whatever  shall  attach  to  the  Mohammedan 
who  becomes  a  Christian,  whether  originally  a  Mohammedan,  or  orig- 
inally a  Christian,  any  more  than  any  punishment  attaches  to  a  Chris- 
tian who  embraces  Mohammedanism.  In  all  such  cases  the  movements 
of  human  conscience  must  be  left  free,  and  the  temporal  arm  must  not 
interfere  to  coerce  the  spiritual  decision." 

Referring  to  the  Imperial  Rescript,  February  12,  1856,  Lord  Strat- 
ford says,  writing  to  the  Earl :  — 

"  If  no  one  is  to  be  molested  on  account  of  the  religion  he  professes, 
and  no  one  to  be  punished  as  a  renegade,  whatever  form  of  faith  he 
denies,  I  do  not  see  what  room  there  can  possibly  be  for  any  practical 
persecutions  in  future  within  the  limits  of  the  Sultan's  empire."  See 
Correspondence  respecting  Christian  Privileges  in  Turkey,  in  Parlia- 
mentary Papers  for  1856,  pp.  15,  24,  25,  33,  55,  60,  66,  67,  77-80. 


44     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Sultan,  by  a  formal  recognition  of  it  in  the  treaty. 
This  was  done  in  article  ninth,  after  much  delibera- 
tion, and  with  the  full  concurrence  of  all  the  pleni- 
potentiaries, including-  the  representative  of  the 
Sultau.i 

The  Hatti  Humaioun  of  1855  was  much  more 
How   es-      than  a  confirmation  of  the  Imperial  Firman 

timated  by  the 

missionaries,  of  1850,  uor  was  it  a  dead  letter.  A  year 
afterwards  Dr.  Jewett,  while  admitting  that  it  was 
inefficient  in  certain  respects,  declared  it  to  have 
been  in  an  important '  sense,  a  quickening  spirit. 
"  Never,"  he  says,  "  within  the  same  space  of  time, 
has  there  been  as  much  religious  discussion  with 
the  Mussulmans  as  since  the  issue  of  the  late  fir- 
man, and  never  before,  I  think,  has  there  been  such 
a  spirit  of  religious  inquiry  among  Mohammedans, 
and  readiness  to  discuss  the  merits  of  the  Christian 

1  "NiKTH  Akticle.  His  Imperial  Majesty  the  Sultan,  having,  in 
his  constant  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  his  subjects,  issued  a  firman, 
which,  while  ameliorating  their  condition  without  distinction  of  relig- 
ion or  race,  records  his  generous  intentions  towards  the  Christian 
population  of  his  empire,  and  wishing  to  give  a  further  proof  of  his 
sentiments  in  that  respect,  has  resolved  to  communicate  to  the  Con- 
tracting Parties  the  said  firman,  emanating  spontaneously  from  his 
sovereign  will. 

"  The  Contracting  Powers  recognize  the  high  value  of  this  commu- 
nication. It  is  clearly  understood,  that  it  cannot,  in  any  case,  give  to 
said  Powers  the  right  to  interfere,  either  collectively  or  separately,  in 
the  relations  of  his  Majesty,  the  Sultan,  with  his  subjects,  nor  in  the 
internal  administration  of  his  Empire."  See  Treaty  of  Paris,  March 
30,  1856,  in  Parliamentary  State  Papers,  vol.  Ixi.  p.  20.  Also,  ap- 
pended, Protocols  of  Conferences,  pp.  8,  13,  51,  57,  58. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  45 

religion,  as  has  been  evident  during  the  past  year. 
It  has  awakened  hope  of  a  good  day  even  for  the 
Moslems."  A  few  years  later,  Dr.  Goodell,  speak- 
ing of  it  says:  "To  the  Protestant  communities 
here,  and  to  all  who  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  this 
Hatti  Humaioun  is  a  boon  of  priceless  value.  Here- 
tofore  its  principal  use  was  to  secure  us  from  the  mo- 
lestation of  these  corrupt  churches,  but  we  have  now 
begun  to  test  its  importance  with  reference  to  the 
Mohammedans  themselves.  Only  a  few  years  since, 
the  headless  bodies  of  apostates  from  the  Mohamme- 
dan faith  might  be  seen  lying  in  the  streets  of  the 
great  city.  But  now  such  apostates  may  be  seen 
at  all  hours  of  the  day  walking  these  same  streets 
without  any  apparent  danger,  urging  the  claims  of 
Christianity  even  in  the  very  courts  of  the  royal 
mosques,  and  teaching  and  preaching  in  the  chapel, 
in  the  private  circle,  and  sometimes  even  in  the  pal- 
aces of  the  great,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the 
glory  of  God  the  Father.  And  all  this  wonderful 
security  is,  under  God,  owing  entirely  to  the  Hatti 
Humaioun."  He  adds,  "  It  is  said  that  the  Turkish 
government  is  sometimes  guilty  of  violating  some 
of  the  great  principles  of  that  document.  And  who 
that  knows  anything  of  human  nature,  or  of  the 
history  of  our  race,  ever  supposed  they  would  not 
be  guilty  of  it  ?  To  suppose  the  contrary  would  be 
to  suppose  the  Turk  advanced  very  much  farther 
towards  perfection  than  any  other  nation  on  the 
face  of  the  earth." 


46      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

A  correspondeuce  arose,  about  this  time,  in  the 
old  Armenian  Church,  between  those  who  inclined 
Indications  towards  the  Papal  Church  and  those  who 
ofprogress.  ^^q^q  opposcd,  aud  it  was  gratifying  to  see 
that  the  principal  Armenian  newspaper,  published  un- 
der the  sanction  of  the  Patriarch,  drew  its  arguments 
almost  wholly  from  the  Scriptures,  scarcely  anything 
being  said  of  the  Councils,  or  of  the  Fathers. 

The  out-stations  of  Nicomedia,  Adabazar,  Rodosto, 
Baghchejuk,  and  Broosa  were  prosperous.  A  Prot- 
estant- Greek  community  at  Demirdesh  stood  firm 
under  persecution,  though  without  a  spiritual  guide. 
The  Pasha  did  little  for  their  protection,  but  divine 
Providence  had  other  instruments  for  their  deliver- 
ance. The  French  Vice  Consul,  having  to  feed 
immense  herds  of  cattle  for  the  French  army,  se- 
lected the  principal  Greek  Protestant  of  the  place 
as  the  most  competent  overseer,  and  empowered  him 
to  employ  the  needful  agents.  This  brought  to  his 
feet  some  who  had  beaten  him  and  even  threatened 
him  with  death.  He  freely  employed  them  and  paid 
them  honestly,  thus  returning  good  for  evil. 

The  training-school  at  Tocat  was  composed  of  pious 
young  men  who  made  considerable  progress  in  their 
studies.  A  footing  was  gained  at  Tarsus  and  Bi- 
tias,  south  of  the  Taurus  range,  and  a  native  pastor 
was  ordained  at  Kessab.  Here  was  a  Protestant 
community  of  more  than  four  hundred. 

At  Aintab  and  in  its  neighboring  villages,  after 


THE  ARMENIANS.  47 

only  nine  years  of  labor,  there  were  twelve  stated  re- 
lig-ious  services,  nearly  half  of  them  con-  progress  at 
ducted  by  native  preachers,  two  thousand  ^""^''' 
Protestants,  old  and  young,  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  church-members,  a  large  congregation  on  the 
Sabbath,  three  promising  young  men  in  the  pastoral 
office,  and  two  more  prepared  for  that  office.  The 
year  1856  was  one  of  unbroken  prosperity  in  all 
temporal  concerns  at  Aintab.  The  influence  of  this 
prosperity,  however,  had  its  usual  effect  in  develop- 
ing a  love  of  the  world,  and  a  feeling  of  self-conse- 
quence, resulting  in  some  perplexities  within  the 
church.  Such  results  are  known  in  much  older 
communities,  and  ought  to  be  expected  in  the  early 
religious  life  of  such  a  people.  Between  the  pas- 
tor Kara  Krikor  and  his  people  there  was  all  that 
could  be  expected  of  mutual  confidence  and  harmony, 
and  his  monthly  salary  was  paid  with  a  promptness 
unusual  in  such  cases. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Schneider  on  the  29th  of  Sep- 
tember was  a  great  loss  to  the  mission.  DeathofMrs. 
This  excellent  woman  had  an  earnest  de-  ^''^''''''^^^■ 
sire  for  the  salvation  of  every  one  she  met,  and  old 
and  young  listened  with  pleasure  to  her  instructions. 
It  became  known,  soon  after  her  decease,  that  three 
or  four  small  companies  of  native  sisters  had  begun 
of  their  own  accord  to  hold  meetings  in  various 
quarters.  The  progress  among  the  women  of  Aintab 
had  been  great.     When  the  first  missionary  arrived. 


48     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

only  one  woman  was  known  who  was  able  to  read. 
It  was  now  ascertained  that  nearly  three  hundred 
could  read  the  New  Testament. 

The  boarding-school  pupils  at  Constantinople 
Girls' school    received  a  pupil  this  year  from  each  of  the 

at  Constan- 
tinople,        following    places  —  Trebizond,    Diarbekir, 

Rodosto,  Haskeuy,  Scutari,  and  Baghchejuk.  The 
chief  difficulty  in  teaching  was  the  want  of  suitable 
text-books  in  the  modern  language.  In  addition  to 
the  usual  studies,  the  pupils  were  allowed  an  oppor- 
tunity to  acquaint  themselves  with  domestic  duties, 
and  they  did  it  in  most  cases  with  hearty  good-will. 
Dr.  Goodell  exercised  a  fatherly  care  over  the  in- 
stitution. 

During  most  of  the  year  Mr.  Clark  had  charge 
Seminary  ®^  *^^  Seminary  at  Bebek.  The  pre- 
at  Bebek.  gcribcd  coursc  of  study  embraced  four  years 
in  the  scholastic  department  and  three  in  the 
theological,  and  was  designed  to  secure  to  the  pupils 
a  systematic  training.  The  qualifications  required 
for  entering,  raised  the  character  of  the  common 
schools  connected  with  the  mission.  Duriug  vaca- 
tions the  students  were  required  to  support  them- 
selves. The  average  number  was  forty-five,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  reject  no  less  than  sixty  applicants, 
mainly  from  inability  to  support  them.  Among 
them  were  Bulgarians,  Albanians,  Wallachians,  and 
Servians.  Seven  students  were  in  the  theological 
department,  and  three  others  went  through  a  part 


TEE  ARMENIANS.  49 

of  the  course,  one  of  whom  was  a  Turk,  and  an- 
other a  Greek.  Dr.  Hamlin  gave  instruction  in 
this  department  after  his  return,  assisted  by  Dr. 
Schauffler  in  Turkish.  Nine  of  the  students  in  the 
seminary  were  church-members,  and  others  gave 
evidence  of  piety. 

The  growth  of  the  Armenian  Mission,  along  with 
its  great  extent  of  territory,  required  a  di-  Di^j^ion  of 
vision  for  the  more  convenient  administra-  *^^  °^'^^'°''- 
tion  of  its  affairs.  Hence  a  Southern  Armenian 
Mission  was  organized  in  November,  1856,  having 
the  Taurus  for  its  boundary  on  the  north,  and  em- 
bracing the  stations  of  Aintab,  Marash,  Antioch, 
Aleppo,  and  Oorfa.  Its  printing  was  to  be  done  at 
Constantinople.  The  members  of  this  mission  were 
Messrs.  Schneider,  Pratt,  Beebee,  Perkins,  Morgan, 
Nutting,  Getting,  and  White.  The  field  of  the  North- 
ern Mission  extended  from  the  Balkans  in  European 
Turkey  to  the  eastern  waters  of  the  Euphrates. 

The  "  Turkish  Missions  Aid  Society  "  was  formed 
in  England  in  1854 ;  "  not  to  originate  a  Turkish  mis- 

,  ,  sions  Aid 

new  mission,  but  to  aid  the  existing  evan-  society. 
gelical  missions  in  the  Turkish  empire,  especially 
American."  The  funds  contributed  to  the  American 
missions  were  given  expressly  for  a  Native  Agency  ; 
and  important  aid  has  thus  been  rendered  down  to 
the.  present  time.  The  funds  of  the  Society  having 
suffered  diminution   in  1857,  Dr.    Dwight  Dr.  Dwight 

visits  Eng- 

was  invited  to  visit  England.     He  arrived  land. 

VOL.  II.  4 


60     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

in  March  of  the  following  year,  and  visited  the 
principal  cities,  in  company  with  the  Secretary.  "  I 
was  everywhere  received,"  says  Dr.  Dwight,  "  with 
the  most  overflowing  kindness,  and  my  simple 
story  was  listened  to  with  the  most  intense  in- 
terest. Clergymen  and  laymen  of  all  evangelical 
denominations  were  usually  present  at  the  meet- 
ings, which  were  held  on  week  days,  and  I  saw 
nowhere  anything  like  a  sectarian  spirit,  but  uni- 
formly the  very  reverse.  Ministers  of  the  Church 
of  England,  as  well  as  others,  publicly  advocated 
the  plan  of  aiding  the  American  Mission  in  Turkey, 
rather  than  sending  forth  a  mission  of  their  own." 
Valuable  as  the  cooperation  of  this  Society  has 
been  in  the  bestowment  of  funds,  its  moral  influence 
in  Turkey,  as  a  visible  illustration  of  fraternal  feel- 
ing among  Protestant  Christians  of  various  names 
and  countries  has  been  of  far  greater  value.^ 

An  account  was  given,  in  a  former  chapter,  of  the 
A  remark-  couvcrsiou,  iu  1842,  of  a  "Papal  Armen- 
abieman.  ^^^2  jjjg  name  was  Bedros  Kamaghiel- 
yan,  and  his  death  occurred  in  1857,  fifteen  years 
afterward.  His  conversion  was  remarkable,  and  so 
was  his  subsequent  life.  He  was  for  some  years  an 
efficient  helper  at  Salonica  among  the  Jews,  and 

1  The  aid  afforded  by  the  Turkish  Missions  Aid  Society  to  the  mis- 
sions of  the  Board  in  Western  Asia,  has  averaged  about  ten  thousand 
dollars  a  year. 

2  Chapter  ix.  p.  130.  See,  also,  Missionary  Herald,  1857,  pp.  387- 
390. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  61 

ever  after  that,  he  was  a  successful  assistant  of  Dr. 
Dwight  in  Constantinople.  Eminently  wise  to  win 
souls  to  Christ,  it  is  believed  that  many,  among  the 
different  races  in  Turkey,  will  rise  up  and  call  him  1 
blessed.  The  first  Turkish  convert  who  became  a 
preacher,  received  his  first  impressions  from  Bedros 
at  Salonica.  Years  later,  the  missionaries  learned 
that  the  origin  of  an  interesting  work  of  grace  among 
the  Greeks  of  Cassandra,  in  that  region,  was  traceable 
to  him.  Though  suffering  from  bodily  infirmity  in 
the  later  years  of  his  life,  his  labors  were  unceas- 
ing for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  for  the  edification 
of  the  church.  He  was  noted  for  his  humility  and 
self-denial,  and  his  piety  was  a  steady  glow  of  light. 
His  views  of  the  gospel  method  of  salvation  were 
clear,  and  his  manner  of  presenting  it  exceedingly 
happy.  He  was  eminently  a  peacemaker  in  the 
church,  and  his  good  sense  was  in  constant  de- 
mand in  the  settlement  of  difficulties.  As  a  deacon 
in  the  Yeni  Kapoo  church  he  was  constantly  look- 
ing after  the  sick  and  infirm,  visiting  families  in  the 
Protestant  community,  and  instructing  their  women 
in  the  doctrines  g,nd  duties  of  Christianity.  When 
attacked  by  his  last  sickness,  Bedros  very  soon 
received  the  impression  that  it  would  be  fatal. 
Once,  in  great  bodily  suffering,  he  exclaimed,  "  O, 
what  a  Saviour  is  my  Saviour !  He  scatters  all  ray 
darkness,  and  gives  me  peace."  At  another  time, 
he  wished  the  missionaries  might  all  be  called  to 


52      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

his  bedside,  that  he  might  declare  to  them  his  great 
joy,  and  what  things  the  Lord  was  doing  for  his 
soul.  A  Mohammedan  of  some  distinction,  who  had 
often  had  religious  conversations  with  Bedros,  called 
upon  him  without  knowing  of  his  sickness.  The 
sick  man,  though  in  extreme  bodily  weakness,  spoke 
very  faithfully  to  his  visitor,  and  told  him  of  his 
joy  in  view  of  death,  and  his  hope  of  going  to  be 
forever  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  added  : 
"  This  is  the  only  way  of  peace  and  salvation,  and 
Christ  is  the  only  Saviour  of  sinners  for  you,  and 
for  me,  and  for  all  the  world."  The  eyes  of  the 
Turk  filled  with  tears.  He  had  never  seen  a  Chris- 
tian die  before  ;  and  to  hear  a  man  talk  with  so 
much  gladness  of  his  departure  from  the  world 
overcame  him,  and  he  hurried  from  the  room.  An 
aged  Moslem  called,  who  had  known  Bedros,  and 
gave  some  evidence  of  being  a  Christian.  Going  to 
his  bedside,  his  eyes  streaming  with  tears,  he  em- 
braced and  kissed  him  in  the  most  aflFectionate 
manner.  Dr.  Dvvight  closes  his  statement  with  the 
following  testimony :  "  Thus  has  passed  away  one 
of  the  choicest  spirits  this  world  ever  saw.  I  feel 
that  I  have  many  lessons  to  learn  from  his  quiet, 
humble,  and  most  useful  life  ;  and  I  trust  that  his 
death  may  be  greatly  blessed  to  all  the  missionaries, 
and  to  all  the  people." 

The  second  Mrs.   Hamlin  died  suddenly,  on  the 
Death  ofMrs.  ^^^  ^^  Novcmbcr,  1857.     Though  not  per- 
mitted to  give  her  dying  testimony,  the 


THE  ARMENIANS.  53 

record  of  her  life  was  that  of  a  meek,  lowly,  and 
quiet  spirit;  diligent,  faithful,  and  affectionate  in 
every  duty.^ 

The  region,  of  which  Arabkir  is  the  centre,  was 
now  rising  in  importance.  The  territory  station  at 
dependent  on  this  station  for  instruction  ^'■''^'^'^• 
extended  from  northeast  and  southwest,  along  the 
western  bank  of  the  Euphrates,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles,  with  a  population  of  one  hundred 
thousand ;  about  equally  divided  between  Armenians 
and  Mussulmans,  with  few  Greeks,  no  Roman  Cath- 
olics, and  no  Jews.  A  large  number  of  the  Mussul- 
mans were  known  as  Kuzzelbashes.  The  field  was 
first  occupied  in  1853,  and  churches  had  been  or- 
ganized in  three  cities  and  two  villages,  all  of  which 
enjoyed  the  stated  preaching  of  the  Word. 

Sivas,  west  of  Arabkir,  and  Tocat  on  the  north- 
west, were  missionary  centres  of  populous  gj^asand 
fields,  extensively  accessible ;  the  former  ^*"'^'" 
containing  a  population  of  more  than  a  hundred 
thousand,  and  the  latter  of  nearly  half  a  million, 
—  Armenians,  Turks,  Kuzzelbashes,  Koords,  and 
Greeks. 

Harpoot  lies  east  of  Arabkir,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Euphrates.     Mr.  Dun  more  commenced 

Harpoot. 

this  station  in  1855,  and  was  alone  in  this 

city  of  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants ;  the  failure 

of  his  wife's  health  having  obliged  her  to  return  to 

1  See  Memoir,  The  Missionary  Sisters,  written  by  Mrs.  Benjamin. 


54       MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

the  United  States.  He  had  been  usefully  employed 
here  nearly  three  years,  —  the  last  with  Messrs. 
Wheeler  and  Allen,  —  when,  having-  a  taste  for  ex- 
ploration and  pioneer  labors,  he  was  transferred,  in 
1858,  to  Erzroom,  with  special  reference  to  the 
region  south  of  that  city ;  and  Messrs.  Wheeler  and 
Allen  were  joined  at  Harpoot,  in  1859,  by  Mr.  H.  N. 
Barnum.  The  city  is  the  centre  of  a  population  of 
about  one  hundred  thousand,  and  stands  on  a  lofty 
hill,  looking  to  the  distant  range  of  the  Taurus  on 
the  south,  and  scores  of  villages  on  the  intervening 
plain.  Northward,  across  the  eastern  branch  of  the 
Euphrates,  is  the  still  loftier  range  of  the  Anti- 
Taurus;  while  the  distant  horizon  to  the  east  and 
west  is  shut  in  by  mountains.  Arabkir  was  occu- 
pied for  several  years  by  Messrs.  Clark,  Pollard,  and 
Richardson,  but  in  1865  was  included  in  the  Har- 
poot field.i 
Geghi  is  about  ninety  miles  from  Harpoot,  in  the 
direction  of  Erzroom.     It  was  visited  by 

Geghi. 

Mr.  Peabody  and  Mr.  Bliss  in  1848  and 
1851.  Mr.  Peabody  found  the  Vartabed  of  the  place 
and  ten  of  the  people  deeply  interested  in  reading 
the  Scriptures.  Mr.  Wheeler  visited  Geghi  in  the 
summer  of  1858  and  found  the  truth  much  opposed, 
but  taking  a  firm  hold  among  the  sixteen  hundred 
Armenians  of  the  place.  He  was  touched  by  their 
earnest  entreaties  to  remain  with  them  a  few  mouths; 

1  Mr.  Wheeler's  Ten  Years  on  the  Euphrates. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  66 

or  if  that  might  not  be,  that  he  would  leave  his 
native  helper  till  some  one  else  could  come  among 
them.  As  with  the  Apostle  Paul  at  Troas,  the 
eagerness  of  the  people  to  hear  led  him  to  protract 
his  labors  on  one  occasion,  till  an  hour  and  a  half 
past  midnight,  and  on  another  till  the  breaking  day. 

The  year  1859  was  signalized  by  a  revival  in  the 
Bebek  Seminary.  At  its  commencement,  Rg^j^^iof 
nearly  half  the  students  were  regarded  as  '^^'swn. 
hopefully  pious,  and  these  all  seemed  at  once  to  have 
new  views  of  spiritual  things.  The  Holy  Spirit  not 
only  revived  the  graces  of  such,  but  put  forth  a  con- 
verting power.  Within  a  few  weeks  nearly  all  the 
students  gave  credible  evidence  of  piety.  There 
were  several  cases,  also,  of  hopeful  conversion  in  the 
girls'  boarding  school ;  and  similar  awakenings  were 
reported  at  Marsovan,  Yozgat,  Baghchejuk,  Broosa, 
and  Marash.  At  the  last  place  thirty-seven  wera 
added  to  the  church  at  one  time,  making  eighty-six 
by  profession  since  the  beginning  of  1858. 

Mr.    Parsons    had   received   frequent   complaints 
from  the  brethren  of  Nicomedia,  that  their  Giris'  school 

at  Nicome- 

girls  had  not  been  properly  cared  for  by  the  ^ia- 
teacher,  and  from  the  teacher  that  the  brethren 
were  intermeddling.  He  answered  by  withdrawing 
all  aid  until  they  could  agree  among  themselves. 
The  effect  was  immediate.  They  began  to  pay  a 
tuition  fee,  and  made  special  efforts  to  render  the 
school  attractive.     The   number  of  pupils  was   in- 


56      MISSIONS  TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

creased  to  seventy-eight,  and  the  school  ceased  any 
longer  to  need  aid. 

A  fire  destroyed  the  mission  premises  at  Tocat  in 
Destructive  1859.  Thc  flamcs  were  so  rapid  as  not  only 
fire  at  Tocat.  ^^  consumc  thc  buildings,  but  the  clothing 
and  bedding  of  the  pupils,  the  books  and  apparatus 
of  the  school,  a  portion  of  the  furniture  of  Messrs. 
Pettibone  and  Winchester,  who  had  been  recently 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  school,  and  all  the  effects 
of  Mr.  Van  Lennep,  including  a  large  and  valuable 
library,  and  a  manuscript  Armenian  translation  of  a 
commentary  on  the  Bible,  niade,  and  to  have  been 
printed,  at  the  expense  of  the  Prince  of  Schouberg. 
In  view  of  this  calamity,  it  was  deemed  expedient  to 
close  the  training-school.  A  similar  one  was  opened 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  at  Harpoot.  Mr.  Clark 
returning  to  the  United  States,  Dr.  Hamlin  renewed 
his  connection  with  the  Bebek  Seminary. 

Mr.  Dunmore,  after  describing  a  tour  he  had 
Mr.  Dun-      madc  of  twelve  hundred  miles  from  Erz- 

more's  ex- 

piorations.  room  to  Oroouiiah  in  Persia,  and  from 
thence,  on  his  return,  through  Russian  Armenia, 
gives  the  following  summary  of  his  missionary  trav- 
els :  "  I  have  travelled  on  horseback  over  six  thou- 
sand miles  in  Turkey,  and  one  thousand  in  Persia 
and  Russia,  between  two  and  three  hundred  on  goat 
skins  upon  the  Tigris,  and  over  fifteen  hundred  by 
steamer,  without  sickness  by  the  way,  without  acci- 
dent, or  the  loss  of  an  article  of  value.     And  I  have 


THE  ARMENIANS.  67 

never  taken  a  guard  when  travelling  alone,  for  pro- 
tection from  robbers.  Surely  we  may  safely  trust  Him 
who  says  :  '  Believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me.'  "  ^ 

The  missionaries  at  Cesarea  were  much  encour- 
aged by  the  progress  of  the  work  there,  church  at 
Mr.  Leonard  thus  writes:  "The  church,  ^^'^'^• 
though  constantly  dismissing  members  to  other 
churches,  still  maintains  its  numbers  by  fresh  ac- 
cessions from  without,  and  is  at  the  same  time 
evidently  advancing  in  consistent,  intelligent  Chris- 
tian character.  Here  are  some  noble  exemplars  of 
faith  and  piety,  who  search  the  Scriptures  daily,  and 
adorn  th,eir  doctrines  by  a  godly  life.  I  have  often 
wished  I  might  introduce  some  of  our  American 
friends  into  our  teachers'  meetings  on  a  Sabbath  aft- 
ernoon, or  to  the  Sabbath-school  at  the  intermission 
of  public  worship,  where  nearly  the  whole  congre- 
gation remains,  exhibiting  a  zeal  and  aptness  in  the 
discussion  of  religious  truths  scarcely  surpassed  in 
the  most  favored  churches  in  New  England.  The 
weekly  woman's  prayer-meeting  is  sometimes  left 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  native  sisters,  and  any 
one  of  half  a  dozen  is  always  ready  without  embar- 
rassment to  take  the  lead,  discoursing  very  appropri- 
ately from  her  Turkish  Testament.  This,  I  am  told, 
is  a  rare  thing  in  Turkey,  where  woman  has  been  so 
long  held  in  ignorance  and  degradation." 

The  reader  will  remember  the  Patriarch  Matteos, 

1  Missionary  Herald  for  1859,  pp.  306-313. 


58       MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

and  his  degradation  in  1849.  After  ten  years  passed 
Matteos  the  ^°  retirement,  he  was  elected  Catholikos 
persecutor.  ^^  ^jj  ^^le  Armenians,  and  removed  to 
Echmiadzin.  His  election  to  such  a  post  at  this 
time  was  significant,  but  the  probability  of  his  being 
able  then  to  hinder  the  reformation  did  not  create 
serious  apprehension. 

Mrs.  Beebee  died  peacefully  at  Marash,  on  the 
Death  of  2^*^^  ®f  October,  1858,  after  protracted  suf- 
Mrs.  Beebee.  fe^jugg^  ^ud  her  husbaud  returned  some 
months  after  to  the  United  States  with  broken 
health,  and  was  released  from  his  connection  with 
the  Board. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  ABMENIANS. 
1860-1861. 

The  fleets  and  armies  of  Europe  had  retired,  and 
the  Turk  felt  in  a  measure  freed  from  a  one  result 

of  the  Cri- 

troublesome  guardianship ;  which  had,  mean  war. 
however,  greatly  promoted  both  religion  and  reform 
in  Turkey.  The  fact  that  the  war  had  materially 
weakened  Russian  influence  at  the  Porte,  may  have 
been  among  the  reasons  that  induced  England  now 
to  relax  its  hold  on  the  government  of  the  Sultan. 
As  a  consequence,  French  diplomacy  was  decidedly 
in  the  ascendant,  and  lent  its  influence  to  promote 
Papal  schemes.  "  The  Armenians,"  writes  a  well 
informed  missionary,  "  accept  a  declaration  of  the 
Bible  as  ultimate,  and  as  the  Protestant  mission- 
aries made  the  Bible  the  basis  of  all  their  work,  and 
accustomed  the  people  to  refer  to  it  for  authority  in 
all  spiritual  matters,  the  Papists  have  been  shut  up 
to  the  use  of  political  measures  to  gain  adherents. 
This  they  have  done  by  espousing  the  cause  of 
any  party  in  litigation  on  condition  that  he  should 
register  himself  a  Roman  Catholic.  This  influence 
was  very  powerful  throughout  the   country,  as   it 


60        MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

was  supported  by  the  intervention  of  the  French 
embassy,  and  led  to  violence  and  persecution  in 
various  parts  of  the  empire,  especially  at  Mardiu, 
where  the  papal  power  was  comparatively  strong." 

Anticipating  the  history,  it  may  be  said,  that  the 
Franco-German  war  changed  all  this.  The  Turk- 
ish government  then  no  longer  feared  the  French, 
and  hence  no  longer  lent  itself  to  Papal  intrigues. 
The  dogma  of  the  Papal  Infallibility  has  been  also  a 
severe  blow  to  the  Oriental  Papacy. 

No  one  was  more  competent  than  Dr.  Dwight  to 
Religious  testify  concerning  the  state  of  religious 
K°antino-  opiuious  amoug  the  Armenians  of  the 
^*'  metropolis.     Writing    in   February,  1860, 

he  said  it  would  be  hard  to  find  an  intelligent  Ar- 
menian in  Constantinople,  unless  among  the  eccle- 
siastics, who  did  not  acknowledge  that  there  were 
many  errors  in  the  Armenian  Church,  and  that  the 
evangelical  system  was  the  best. 

About  the  same  time,  he  found  a  great  change 
Change  for     for  tlic  better  at  Rodosto,  on  the  northern 

the  better  at  n  -» «•  m 

Rodosto.  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora.  The  evan- 
gelical brethren  had  suffered  many  indignities  from 
the  Armenians,  but  now  even  the  magnates  were 
disposed  to  cultivate  friendly  relations  with  them. 
This  he  attributed,  in  great  measure,  to  the  wise 
and  yet  firm  demeanor  of  Apraharn,  the  native 
preacher,  who  afterwards  became  pastor  of  the 
Rodosto  church.     He  was  a  native  of  the  place,  and 


THE  ARMENIANS.  61 

was  once  a  deacon  in  the  old  Armenian  Church,  and 
a  candidate  for  the  offices  of  vartabed  and  bishop. 
His  first  knowledge  of  the  truth  was  gained  while 
in  the  Armenian  monastery  at  Jerusalem.  From 
thence  he  came  to  Bebek,  where  he  studied  the- 
ology. He  was  an  exception  to  the  rule,  that  a 
prophet  has  no  honor  in  his  own  country,  for  with- 
out compromising  the  truth,  he  had  gained  the 
respect  of  all.  He  showed  his  missionary  friend  a 
list  of  eighty  families,  upon  which  he  called  in  reg- 
ular order.  Though  most  of  them  belonged  to  the 
old  Armenian  Church,  they  received  him  kindly. 
The  missionary  called  with  him  upon  two  of  these 
families  prominent  in  the  Armenian  community,  in 
oue  of  which  they  spent  an  entire  evening,  A  copy 
of  the  Bible,  in  the  modern  language,  was  in  the 
house,  and  was  brought  forward,  read,  and  com- 
mented upon,  just  as  if  this  had  been  a  Protestant 
family. 

Dr.  Dwight  attended  the  examination  of  the  Prot- 
estant school  at  Rodosto.  More  than  half  of  the 
pupils  were  from  non-Protestant  families ;  and  an 
audience  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  expressed  very 
general  satisfaction  with  the  attainments  of  the 
pupils.  On  the  Sabbath  he  administered  the  Lord's 
Supper.  A  large  number  not  connected  with  the 
church,  were  present,  and  gave  close  attention  to 
the  preaching.  Many  must  have  come  from  mere 
curiosity,  but  the   missionary  never  preached  with 


62     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

greater  certainty  that  he  had  the  sympathies  of  his 
audience. 

In  the  following  July,  events  showed  that  the  new 
Outbreak  at    iufluenccs   had   in    some  way  reached   all 

the  metropo- 
lis- classes   of  Armenians   in   the   metropolis. 

An  aged  Protestant  died  and  his  body  was  borne  by 
his  friends  to  an  Armenian  cemetery,  which  hitherto 
had  been  open  to  all  bearing  the  Christian  name. 
Now,  however,  a  mob,  composed  of  the  very  lowest 
class  of  Armenians,  seized  the  cofl5n,  and  forcibly 
carried  it  out  of  the  burying-ground,  where  it  re- 
mained four  days.  The  mob  increased  to  thousands, 
and  kept  possession  of  the  ground  day  and  night. 
The  American  and  English  Ambassadors  were  at 
length  roused,  and  remonstrated  with  the  Porte  and 
the  Patriarch.  The  burial  was  assented  to,  and  the 
Seraskier,  or  Minister  of  War,  came  with  several 
hundred  troops.  A  place  was  selected  for  the  grave 
within  the  cemetery,  but  the  mob,  at  the  first  blow 
of  the  pickaxe,  rushed  forward  with  a  savage  yell. 
The  troops  were  ordered  to  resist,  but  not  to  fire. 
After  twenty  or  thirty  had  been  wounded,  the  mob 
fell  back.  The  Patriarch  and  other  dignitaries  of 
the  Armenian  Church  now  came  upon  the  ground, 
and  gave  their  sanction  to  the  spot  selected  for  the 
burial,  and  the  grave  was  dug.  Just  then  the  Ser- 
askier, for  some  unexplained  reason,  ordered  the 
grave  to  be  filled,  and  another  to  be  dug  outside  of 
the  cemetery,  in  the  middle  of  the  public  highway. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  63 

The  Protestants  declined  taking  part  in  the  burial 

in  such  a  spot,  though  entreated  to  do  so  by  the 

Seraskier,  but  remained  and   looked  on  in  silence, 

while  Mussulmans  dug  the  grave,  put  the  coflfin  into 

it,  and  filled  it  up.     As  soon  as  this  was  done,  the 

mob  rushed  forward  and  trampled  spitefully  upon  it, 

in  the  presence  of  the  Pasha  and  Patriarch.     The 

representatives  of  the  Protestant  powers  now  united 

in  a  strong  remonstrance  to  the  government;  and 

Stepan  Effendi,  the  civil  head  of  the  Protestants,  was 

speedily  notified,  that  ground  would  be  given  them 

for  cemeteries  wherever  Protestants  were  found. 

A    native    assistant    died    at    Baghchejuk,    near 

Nicomedia,  early  in  the  year,  who  had  from  a  remark- 
able native 

the  beginning  been  intimately  connected  helper. 
with  the  work  in  that  place,  and  was  called  the 
"prince  of  colporters,"  on  account  of  his  success 
in  distributing  the  Scriptures.  Being  by  nature  an 
earnest  man,  when  converted  he  became  zealous  in 
disseminating  the  truth.  As  he  was  respected 
through  all  the  region,  there  was  great  anxiety 
among  the  Armenians  to  regain  him,  and  an  ex- 
Patriarch  visited  Baghchejuk,  in  the  hope  of  bring- 
ing him  back.  Promises  and  threats  were  equally 
vain,  and  the  storm  of  persecution  finally  burst  upon 
him.  His  vineyards  and  mulberry  orchards  were 
cut  down,  and  much  of  his  property  was  wrested 
from  him.  He  was  beaten  and  stoned,  and  his 
name  cast  out  as  vile.    When  they  were  building 


64     MISSIONS  TO  THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

the  church  he  brought  a  basket  full  of  stoues  and 
brick-bats,  which  had  been  thrown  through  his 
windows,  to  be  incorporated  in  the  foundation  wall. 
He  described  the  effect  of  persecution  in  his  own 
case,  thus  :  "  The  truth  in  my  heart  was  like  a  stake 
slightly  driven  into  soft  ground,  easily  swayed,  and 
in  danger  of  falling  before  the  wind ;  but  by  the 
sledge-hammer  of  persecution  God  drove  it  in  till 
it  became  immovable."  "  His  working  power," 
says  Mr.  Parsons,  the  resident  missionary,  "like 
everything  else  in  his  possession,  was  consecrated 
to  Christ.  With  great  self-denial  on  his  part,  two 
hundred  piasters  a  month  (about  eight  dollars)  en- 
abled him  to  give  all  his  time  to  street  preaching, 
and  the  sale  of  the  Scriptures.  As  a  bookseller  he 
was  eminently  faithful  and  successful.  Not  con- 
tented with  sitting  in  the  book-stall  waiting  for  pur- 
chasers, he  used  to  shoulder  a  basket  of  books,  and  go 
through  the  streets  and  lanes  of  town  and  city,  offer- 
ing for  sale  the  '  Holy  Book  ; '  the  '  Book  that  would 
not  lie ; '  the  '  Infallible  Guide ; '  and  proclaiming,  in 
a  loud  voice,  its  divine  origin,  man's  need  of  it,  and 
its  light-and-life-giving  power.  This  he  did  as  time 
and  strength  permitted,  from  Broosa  to  Angora,  and 
from  Bilijik  to  the  Black  Sea.  He  everywhere 
either  carried  with  him,  or  had  near  at  hand,  a  supply 
of  Bibles  in  the  Turkish,  Armenian,  Greek,  and  Jew- 
ish languages.  Probably  not  less  than  one  hundred 
thousand  persons  have  heard  from  him  the  proffer 
of  the  word  of  life." 


THE  ARMENIANS.  65 

"The  word  of  God,"  continues  Mr.  Parsons, 
"  was  his  constant  companion.  He  was  so  familiar 
with  it,  that  he  could  turn  with  facility  to  any  pas- 
sage desired.  He  walked  with  God.  He  was  a 
man  of  prayer.  His  happiest  moments  were  sea- 
sous  of  devotion  —  private,  social,  and  public.  I 
should  say,  rather,  that  next  to  the  work  of  bring- 
ing others  to  Christ,  his  delight  was  in  prayer  and 
praise.  He  has  rested  from  his  labors,  but  his 
works  do  follow  him.  Before  he  died,  he  could  re- 
joice in  a  rich  harvest  from  his  own  sowing,  but  a 
greater  harvest  is  yet  to  be  reaped  from  the  seed  so 
widely  scattered  by  his  hand.  He  has  gone,  a  sheaf 
of  the  first-fruits  of  the  work  in  Baghchejuk.  He 
'  came  to  his  grave  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  in 
in  his  season.' " 

Mr.  E.  E.  Bliss  passed  through  Marsovan  on  his 
way  to  Harpoot,  and  found  that  the  ram-  Great  change 
pant  hostility  of  eight  years  before  had  '°  *'"'^^°^^'^- 
died  out.i  Instead  of  the  hootings  and  stouings, 
which  then  greeted  his  arrival,  he  was  met,  a  long 
way  out,  by  a  goodly  company  to  escort  him  to  his 
lodgings.  Ou  the  Sabbath,  in  place  of  the  little 
company  assembled  in  a  lower  room  of  his  own 
house,  he  now  preached  to  a  good  audience,  in  a 
large  and  commodious  chapel. 

"  I  spent,"  he  says,  "  a  few  days  at  Sivas,  where 
I  was  eight  years  ago,  and  found  the  small  room, 

1  See  chapter  xxiv. 

VOL.  II.  5 


66        MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

where  ten  or  fifteen  then  met  for  God's  worship. 
Changes  cxchauged  for  a  large  upper  room,  filled 
elsewhere.  ^j^|^  ^^  audiencc  of  more  than  a  hundred. 
And  as  we  went  onward  to  places  we  had  never  he- 
fore  visited,  it  was  a  continual  feast  to  see  the  ex- 
tent to  which  the  work  of  God  had  spread  in  the 
whole  country.  In  almost  every  place  where  we 
stopped  for  the  night,  however  obscure  the  village, 
some  would  gather  around  us  as  brethren  in  the 
Lord.  They  were  often  coarsely  dressed  and  rude 
of  speech,  undistinguishable  in  appearance  from  the 
mass  around  them ;  but  a  few  words  of  conversa- 
tion would  show  that  their  souls  had  been  illumi- 
nated by  the  truth." 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Northern  Armenian 
Telegraphic    Missiou    for   1860,  was   held  at  Harpoot, 

cominuiiica- 

tions.  east  of  the  Euphrates,  seven  hundred  and 

fifty  miles  from  Constantinople.  And  it  was  a  sig- 
nificant fact,  that  the  delegates  from  the  metropolis 
were  able  to  communicate  with  their  families  over 
the  telegraph  wires,  destined  to  connect  London 
with  Calcutta. 

The  distance  from  the  capital,  and  of  the  stations 
The  mission    ft'om  cacli  othcr  was  so  great,  as  to  render 

further 

divided.  it  difficult  to  assemble  in  the  annual  meet- 
ings, that  were  indispensable  for  an  eflFective  ad- 
ministration. At  this  meeting,  what  had  been 
known  as  the  Northern  Missiou,  was  divided  into 
Western  and  Eastern,  and  Erzroom,  Harpoot,  and 


THE  ARMENIANS.  67 

Arabkir  composed  the  Eastern  Mission.  The  South- 
ern Mission  then  took  the  name  of  the  Central ;  and 
the  stations  of  the  Assyria  Mission  were  united  to 
the  Eastern.  It  will  be  convenient  to  use  the 
names  Western,  Central,  and  Eastern  in  designating 
territory,  but  we  shall,  as  far  as  possible,  treat  the 
three  divisions  as  constituting  one  great  mission. 

The   church  at  Harpoot  received  its  first  native 
pastor  at   this   annual   meeting.     He  was  First  native 

pastor  at 

one  of  several  young  men,  who  left  Diar-  Harpoot. 
bekir  for  Constantinople,  eight  years  before,  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  a  Protestant  education  at  Be- 
bek.  They  were  subjected  to  many  revilings  on 
their  way,  and  few  showed  them  any  kindness. 
Some  who  were  in  sympathy  with  them  deprecated 
their  removal  from  Diarbekir,  as  the  withdrawal 
from  that  place  of  the  little  light  which  had  begun 
to  shine.  Now,  having  completed  the  course  of 
study  at  the  Seminary,  Tomas,  one  of  that  company, 
was  preaching  the  Gospel  every  Sabbath  in  Diarbe- 
kir, and  was  to  become  pastor  there ;  and  Marderos, 
another,  combining  great  excellence  of  character, 
was  made  pastor  of  the  flourishing  church  at  Har- 
poot. 

Mr.  Dunraore,  when  he  commenced  the  Harpoot 
station,  five  years  before,  found  not  a  sin-  Rise  of  the 

.  Harpoot  sta- 

gle    Protestant  in  that  city.     It  was  now  tw^- 
only    three    years    since    the    arrival    of    Messrs. 
Wheeler,  Allen,  and  Barnnm,  and  there  were  thirty- 


68     MISSIONS   TO  THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

nine  church-members,  and  Harpoot  was  fast  becom- 
ing an  important  centre  of  influence.  There  were 
schools  in  ten  of  the  thirteen  out-stations,  eleven  of 
which  were  supplied  with  preaching  on  the  Sabbath 
by  the  missionaries  and  students  of  the  Seminary, 
and  in  all  the  surrounding  regions  there  was  an  in- 
crease of  attendance  on  preaching.  Women  learned 
to  read,  and  groups  were  found  studying  the  Bible. 
In  the  numerous  villages  of  the  Harpoot  plain  and 
outlying  districts  were  many  faithful  disciples  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  The  spirit  of  freedom  had  gone  forth, 
as  was  seen  in  the  growing  activity  of  laymen,  and 
the  consequent  decline  of  superstition  and  ecclesias- 
tical despotism.  Instruction  was  communicated  to 
large  numbers  of  both  men  and  women,  and  it  was 
beginning  to  be  regarded  as  disgraceful  for  adults 
of  either  sex  not  to  be  able  to  read. 

Tlie  theological  school  contained  twenty-four  pu- 
Theoiogicai  P^^^'  ^^  whoni  elcvcn  were  from  the  vicinity 
school.  y^j^^i  i^g^j  ^ygj.g  married  men.     The  students 

devoted  their  winter  vacation  of  four  months  to 
preaching  and  teaching',  and  in  term  time  they 
preached  at  out-stations. 

Mrs.  Dwight,  after  twenty-one  years  of  emi- 
Dr.  Dwight's  nently  useful  service,  died  at  Constantinople 

second  tour 

in  the  East,  in  Novcmbcr,  1860.  Dr.  Dwight's  family 
being  thus  broken  up,  he  commenced,  with  the  ap- 
proval of  his  brethren,  a  tour  through  Syria  and 
Asiatic  Turkey,  intending  to  go  over  much  of  the 


THE  ARMENIANS.  69 

ground   he  had   traversed  with  Dr.  Eli    Smith   in 
their  explorations  thirty  years  before. 

How  great  the  changes  in  the  intervening  period ! 
Then,  for  fourteen  and  a  half  months,  he  ^, 

Changes  be- 

was  unable  to  receive  tidings  from  his  wife,  arsTand  sec- 
whom  he  had  left  in  Malta.  Now,  from  '"'^''''''■ 
beyond  the  Euphrates,  he  could  have  communicated 
daily  with  Constantinople  by  telegraph.  Then,  no 
fellow-laborers  were  to  be  found  between  Smyrna 
and  the  little  bands  of  German  and  Scotch  brethren 
soon  after  to  be  driven  away  from  Russian  Armenia 
and  Georgia,  and  nowhere  did  they  meet  among 
the  people  any  religious  sympathies  in  unison  with 
their  own.  Now,  the  survivor  found  missionaries 
scattered  over  the  land,  and  he  scarcely  entered  a 
place  where  some  one,  at  least,  did  not  greet  him 
with  a  joyful  welcome.  Then,  the  object  was  to  ex- 
plore an  unbroken  scene  of  spiritual  death.  Now, 
it  was  to  confirm  living  churches,  and  help  forward 
a  growing  spiritual  work. 

The  tour  was  extended  as  far  as  the  Nestorian 
mission,  and  occupied  about  eight  months.  Review- 
ing this  journey  of  almost  unprecedented  interest. 
Dr.  Dwight  could  not  refrain  from  using  the  lan- 
guage of  Christian  triumph :  "  I  have  visited,"  he 
says,  "  every  station  of  the  Board  in  Turkey  and 
Persia  excepting  those  among  the  Bulgarians.  It 
has  been  my  privilege  to  see  all  the  missionaries  and 
their  families,  —  a  rare  body  of  men  and  women,  of 


70       MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

whom  our  churches  and  our  country  may  well  be 
proud,  —  and  also  to  become  personally  acquainted 
with  hundreds  and  thousands  of  the  dear  Protestant 
brethren  and  sisters  of  this  land  — God's  lig"hts  in 
the  midst  of  surrounding  darkness ;  God's  witnesses 
even  where  Satan  dwelleth." 

Dr.  Dwig-ht  was  at  Marash  in  April,  and  this  is 
Triumph  of    his  own  vivid  description  of  what  he  saw 

the  Gospel  mi  •        i  •     •     i       i  •      • 

at  Marash.  thcrc  :  "  This  placc  IS  indeed  a  missionary 
wonder  !  Twelve  years  ago  there  was  not  a  Protes- 
tant here,  and  the  people  were  proverbially  ignorant, 
barbarous,  and  fanatical.  Six  years  ago  the  evan- 
gelical Armenian  church  was  organized  with  sixteen 
members,  the  congregation  at  that  time  consisting 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty.  On  the  last  Sabbath 
I  preached  in  the  morning  to  a  congregation  of  over 
a  thousand,  and  in  the  afternoon  addressed  nearly 
or  quite  fifteen  hundred  people,  when  forty  were 
received  into  the  church,  making  the  whole  number 
two  hundred  and  twenty-seven.  Nearly  one  hun- 
dred of  these  have  been  added  since  Mr.  White 
came  here,  two  years  ago.  One  old  woman  of 
seventy-five  years  was  admitted  who  was  converted 
only  four  months  ago.  She  was  previously  a  bigoted 
opposer,  but  now  she  seems  full  of  the  love  of  Christ. 
Her  emotions  almost  overpowered  her  on  approach- 
ing the  table  of  the  Lord. 

"  The  church-members  here  impressed  me  from 
the  first  as  men  who  thought  more  of  the  spiritual 


THE  ARMENIANS.  71 

than  the  temporal.  The  Holy  Spirit  has  been  evi- 
dently at  work  here  during  the  whole  of  the  year, 
and  especially  through  the  past  winter,  and  conver- 
sions are  constantly  taking  place.  The  burden  of 
conversation  among  the  brethren  is  in  regard  to 
praying  and  laboring  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 

"  On  the  Sabbath  the  half  of  the  body  of  the 
church  was  filled  with  women  packed  closely  to- 
gether on  the  floor.  The  other  half,  and  the  broad 
galleries  around  three  sides  of  the  house,  were  com- 
pletely crowded  with  men.  A  new  church  is  needed 
immediately  in  the  other  end  of  the  town.  I  bless 
God  that  He  brought  me  here,  and  I  feel  almost  like 
saying,  'Now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace.'" 

It  should  be  said  that  this  visit  to  Marash  was 
in  the  midst  of  a  revival.  The  resident  mission- 
ary, Mr.  White,  describes  the  work  as  being 
chiefly  among  the  Armenians  and  Roman  Catholics. 
"  Every  night  they  met  in  the  houses  of  the  Prot- 
estants and  spent  hours,  sometimes  even  till  near 
morning,  examining  the  Scriptures  and  compar- 
ing them  with  the  corrupt  teachings  of  their  own 
churches.  Our  young  men  were  very  active,  labor- 
ing both  day  and  night,  so  much  so,  that  the  Cath- 
olic bishop  said  he  could  not  understand  it;  that  if 
the  young  men  were  paid  for  thus  laboring,  the  mis- 
sionaries had  not  money  enough  ;  and  if  they  were 
not  paid,  they  had  a  love  which  he  could  not  under- 


72       MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

stand.  Many  of  his  people,  however,  seemed  to 
comprehend  it  better  than  he  did,  and  are  now  reg- 
ular attendants  at  our  church." 

The  veteran  missionary  pays  a  noble  tribute  to  the 
Tribute  to      wivcs  of  the   missionaries   at  the  several 

the  wives  of 

missionaries,  statious  of  thc  ccutral  mission  :  "  I  felt 
myself  rebuked  when  I  saw  the  earnest,  self-devoted 
spirit  of  my  missionary  sisters,  who  are  laboring  in 
Aintab,  in  Marash,  in  Antioch,  in  Aleppo,  and  in 
Oorfa,  for  the  salvation  of  their  degraded  sex ;  think- 
ing little  of  the  sacrifices  they  have  made  in  leaving 
America,  to  live  in  such  a  country  as  Turkey.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  find  in  Christendom  a  more 
happy  clas^  than  these,  our  helpers  in  Christ  Jesus. 
The  holy  object  which  fills  their  hearts  lifts  them 
above  the  distracting  and  embittering  influences  of 
external  circumstances." 

The  change  at  Diarbekir,  during  the  score  of 
Change  at  J^ars  siucc  Dr.  Grant  and  Mr.  Homes 
Diarbekir.  |jarely  escaped  with  their  lives,  had  been 
truly  wonderful.  Drs.  Dwight  and  Schneider  and 
Mr.  Nutting,  on  their  approach  from  Oorfa,  were 
met,  eighteen  miles  out,  by  a  deputation  of  Protes- 
tant brethren  on  horseback  ;  and,  a  few  miles  further 
on,  by  another  detachment,  headed  by  Mr.  Walker 
and  the  native  pastor;  and  when  near  the  city,  by  a 
third  on  foot,  thus  giving  them  a  sort  of  triumphal 
entry.  Nor,  during  their  whole  stay,  was  there 
anything  to  awaken  a  feeling  of  insecurity,  but  con- 


THE  ARMENIANS.  73 

vinciug  evidence,  that  Protestantism  had  a  strong 
hold  on  many  minds. 

Dr.  Dwight  noticed  a  decline  of  the  Turkish  pop- 
ulation in   the   region   of  the  Euphrates.  Decline  in 

a  ■,  ..  the  Turkish 

several  entire  quarters  in  Diarbekir,  for-  population. 
merly  Turkish,  had  passed  into  Christian  hands,  and 
the  process  was  going  on.  Armenians,  Jacobites, 
and  Protestants  were  buying  Turkish  houses,  but 
seldom  did  a  Turk  buy  one  of  theirs ;  and  around  the 
outskirts  of  the  city  there  were  extensive  Turkish 
quarters  all  in  ruins. 

Mrs.  Dunmore  had  come  to  the  United  States  iu 
1856,  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  her 

^  Death  and 

health,  and  was  never  able  to  return.  Her  Mn'^un-"*^ 
husband  continued  his  self-denying  labors  ™°'"®' 
four  years  longer,  until,  seeing  no  prospect  of  her 
recovery,  he  believed  his  duty  required  him  to  follow 
her.  It  was  then  a  time  of  civil  war  in  his  native 
land,  and  his  public  spirit  led  him  to  accept  an  invi- 
tation from  a  regiment  of  cavalry  to  be  their  chap- 
lain. A  detachment,  with  which  he  was  connected, 
was  surprised  early  in  the  morning  of  August  3, 
1861,  and  he  fell,  shot  in  the  head  before  he  was 
fairly  out  of  his  tent.^ 

In  courage,  enterprise,  tact,  and  efficacy,  Mr. 
Dunmore  stood  in  the  front  rank  of  missionaries. 
"  He  did  not  write  much  of  what  he  did,"  says  Mr. 
Walker,  his  successor  at  Diarbekir.     "  He  cared  not 

^  See  Missionary  Herald,  1862,  p.  321. 


74        MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

to  be  known.  But  he  cared  for  the  souls  of  this 
poor  people,  and  for  Christ's  kingdom.  I  think  that 
few  missionaries  are  so  well  fitted  for  the  work,  and 
very  few  labor  with  the  same  zeal  and  self-denial. 
To  few  is  it  given  to  accomplish  so  much.  There  is 
comparatively  little  accomplished  in  Diarbekir,  Arab- 
kir,  Harpoot,  and  Moosh,  which  is  not,  under  God, 
due  to  this  brother.  His  influence  will  long  be  felt 
in  these  parts.  Paul  was  his  model,  and  there  are 
few  who  come  so  near  to  that  exemplar.  He  had 
wonderful  power  in  attaching  the  natives  to  him. 
He  could  sympathize  deeply  with  them,  and  aid 
them  as  few  can.  His  heart  was  in  the  work  here, 
and  it  was  a  very  great  trial  for  him  to  return  to 
America.  His  fearless  journeys  among  the  Koords 
in  this  land,  led  us  often  to  feel  apprehensive  for  his 
life.  The  Lord  forgive  the  Texan,  whose  bullet  cut 
short  a  life  so  valuable." 

In  the  years  1860  and  1861,  the  ill  health  of  either 
The  mission-  husbaud  Or  wifc  dcprivcd  the  mission  of  the 
ary  force.  ^^^^^,^  ^f  Mcssrs.  Clark,  Hutchisou,  Par- 
sons, and  Plumer,  and  their  families.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Peabody  returned  to  their  native  land,  after  a  faith- 
ful service  of  nineteen  years.  Dr.  Schauffler  also 
terminated  his  official  connection  of  twenty-nine 
years  with  his  missionary  associates,  and  entered  the 
service  of  the  American,  and  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Societies  in  the  work  of  Bible  translation  for 
the  Turkish  Mohammedans.     Miss  Tenney  was  mar- 


THE  ARMENIANS.  75 

ried  to  Dr.  Hamliu,  who  had  been  released  from  his 
couiiectiou  with  the  Board  to  take  charg-e  of  a  Prot- 
estant college  in  Constantinople,  though  without  any 
change  in  the  great  object  of  his  labors. 

Mr.  Williams  reoccupied  Mardin  in  the  year  1861. 
This  was  then,  as  now,  the  capital  of  the 

'  -^  Mardin  con- 

Syrian  Church,  and  the  natural  centre  of  l^^l^^^ 
operations  among  the  Arabic-speaking  peo-  ™'^^'°''- 
pie   in    Eastern   Turkey.     It  embraced  Mosul,  and 
multitudes  of  towns  and  villages  scattered  over  a 
wide  region,  and  required  more  than  one  mission- 
ary ;  though  that  one  was  a  man  of  first-rate  abili- 
ties and  eminent  devotion  to  his  work.     It  was  put 
in  connection  with  the  Armenian  Mission,  partly  be- 
cause its  missionary  policy  was  the  same,  and  partly 
because  it  seemed  necessary  to  work  that  whole  field 
from  one  central  station,  and  by  a  small  number  of 
missionaries,  and  because  it  would  require  the  moral 
support  of  the  larger  mission  in  its  neighborhood. 
A  training-school  was  commenced  at  Mardin  in 

the  following  year,  on  the  plan  of  the  one  Training- 
school  at 
at  Harpoot,  with  a  class  of  eight  hopefully  Mardin. 

pious  young  men.  The  congregation  had  doubled 
since  Mr.  Williams'  return  and  Protestantism  had 
a  more  favorable  position  ;  but  as  yet  the  intellect 
accepted  the  truth  more  readily  than  did  the  heart. 

Trebizond  had  only  a  native  pastor,  and  the  day- 
school  was  reported  as  one  of  the  best  in  other  por- 
tions of  the 
Turkey.     Khanoos,  southeast  of  Erzroom,  fiew. 


76        MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

had  been  faithfully  cultivated  for  some  time  by  the 
native  pastor,  Simon,  who  was  novr  removed  to 
Moosh,  where  he  would  have  a  better  field.  Erz- 
room  was  again  without  a  missionary  in  consequence 
of  the  necessary  removal  of  Mr.  Trowbridge  to  the 
capital. 

In  addition  to  notices  of  versions  of  the  Scriptures 
Scripture  ^^  ^^^  prcccdiug  chaptcr,  it  should  now  be 
translations.  ^^^^^^^^^  ^hat  Dr.  Goodcll  had  completed  the 
great  work  of  his  life,  —  the  translation  of  the  Bible 
into  the  Turkish  language,  as  written  in  the  Arme- 
nian character  and  spoken  by  the  Armenians.  The 
version  was  from  the  Hebrew  and  Greek ;  the  New 
Testament  had  received  three  distinct  revisions,  and 
the  Old  Testament  one.  His  principal  helper,  for 
thirty  years,  was  Panayotes  Constantinides,  who  died 
March  11, 1861.  "  He  had  greatly  desired,"  writes 
Dr.  Goodell,  "  to  live  to  see  the  end  of  the  revision, 
and  we  pressed  on  together,  returning  thanks  at  the 
end  of  every  chapter,  that  we  had  got  so  far  on  our 
journey.  But  his  strength  failed  him  on  the  way, 
and  when  there  was  but  little  further  to  go,  he  laid 
himself  down,  and  the  angels  carried  him  to  his 
home  in  heaven."  Dr.  Schauffler  had  nearly  com- 
pleted a  translation  of  the  New  Testament  in  Turk- 
ish, with  the  Arabic  or  sacred  character,  and  after 
much  difficulty  had  obtained  the  consent  of  the  gov- 
ernment to  its  publication.  Dr.  Riggs  had  reached 
the  books  of  Kings,  in  addition  to  the  Psalms,  in  his 


THE  ARMENIANS.  77 

version  of  the  Scriptures  in  Bulgarian,  and  had  also 
given  time  to  preparing  and  editing  Bulgarian 
tracts. 

The  amount  of  publication  in  the  year  1860,  in 
the   Armenian,   Armeno  -  Turkish,    Bulga- 

/-<  -i  ^  A    ^/^/^  Publications. 

nan,  and  Modern  Greek,  was  164,500  cop- 
ies, and  13,296,000  pages.     The  total  expenditure 
was  $15,789,  from  the  following  sources :  — 

American  Bible  Society  ....  $3,473 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  .  .  1,243 
American  Tract  Society,  New  York  .  2,646 
American  Tract  Society,  Boston  .  .  674 
London  Tract  Society  ....  1,175 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions 5,462 

Other  sources 1,116 


$15,789 


Among  the  books  published  were  a  Reply  to  Arch- 
bishop Matteos  in  Armenian,  a  Commentary  on 
Matthew,  Hymn-Book,  Theological  Class-Book,  and 
Geography,  —  the  last  at  the  expense  of  Haritun 
Minasiyan,  an  Armenian  printer.  The  Word  of 
God  was  more  in  demand  than  any  other  book.  The 
Armenian  Bible,  with  marginal  references,  electro- 
typed  and  printed  in  New  York  by  the  American 
Bible  Society,  was  highly  prized.  The  American 
Tract  Society  had  also  electrotyped  and  printed  sev- 
eral works  for  the  mission,  which  were  admired  for 
their  beauty,  and  were  furnished  more  cheaply  than 
they  could  have  been  prepared  in  Constantinople. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE   ASSTKIA   MISSION. 

1849-1860. 

Mosul  is  related  to  the  Syria  Mission  in  lan- 
originofthe  ^'^^g'^j  t^6  written  Arabic  being  essentially 
nussion.  ^j^^  sauie  in  both  fields  ;  but  there  is  con- 
siderable difference  in  the  language  of  preaching 
and  social  intercourse.  "  Near  Mosul,  and  especially 
on  the  east  of  the  Tigris,"  writes  Dr.  Leonard 
Bacon,  after  his  visit  to  Mosul,  "  the  language  is 
Syriac,  or  as  they  there  call  it,  FellaJii,  the  peasant 
language.  In  other  districts,  Turkish  and  Koordish 
are  spoken  by  many  nominal  Christians.  The  peo- 
ple in  Mesopotamia  are  very  different  from  those 
in  Syria.  They  are  of  other  sects.  Instead  of  the 
Greek  Church,  the  Greek  Catholic,  and  the  Maro- 
nite,  we  find,  as  we  travel  east  of  the  Euphrates, 
and  especially  as  we  approach  the  Tigris,  the  Jacob- 
ite, the  Syrian  Catholic  or  Romanized  Jacobite,  the 
Nestorian  (almost  exterminated),  and  the  Chaldean 
or  Romanized  Nestorian.  And  the  condition  of 
these  sects,  as  it  respects  the  feeling  of  strength 
and  pride,  is  very  unlike  that  of  the  sects  in  Syria. 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  79 

The  Maronite  Church,  and  the  Greek  Catholic,  are 
stroug  and  proud  in  their  relation  to  Rome,  aud  iu 
the  feeliug  that  they  are  protected  by  the  great 
papal  powers  iu  Europe.  The  Greek  Church  may 
be  likened  to  a  Russian  colony  in  the  Turkish  em- 
pire. But  the  more  eastern  sects,  remnants  of  what 
were  once  the  great  Oriental  Church,  are  in  far 
different  relations,  ecclesiastical  aud  political.  The 
Jacobites,  like  the  Nestorians,  feel  themselves  weak- 
ened and  depressed.  The  Syrian  Catholic  aud  the 
Chaldean  are  not  very  firmly  united  to  Rome,  and 
are  little  affected  by  European  influences.  Nor  is 
this  all.  The  nominal  Christians  of  Mesopotamia 
are  of  a  very  different  race  and  blood  from  those  of 
Syria.  The  Greek  element,  which  characterizes  the 
Arabic-speaking  Christians  west  of  the  Euphrates, 
—  an  element  of  subtlety  of  disputation,  and  of  in- 
tellectual pride,  —  is  not  so  prominent  in  these 
more  Oriental  commuuities.  For  these  aud  other 
reasons,  I  cannot  but  think  that  this  field  should  be 
occupied  by  the  brethren  of  the  Mosul  station,  and 
be  regarded  as  entirely  distinct  from  that  of  the 
Syria  Mission.  Mosul,  as  a  centre  of  missionary 
labor,  is  much  more  nearly  related  to  Oroomiah, 
than  to  Beirut,  or  Aleppo."  ^ 

The  visit  of  Messrs.  Perkins  and  Stocking  to 
Mosul,  in  May,  184<9,  has  been  already  mentioned.^ 
That  visit  did  much   to  prepare  the  way  for    Mr. 

1  Report  of  the  Board  for  1851,  p.  82.  2  Chapter  xx. 


80        MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Ford,  of  the  Aleppo  station,  who  went  there  at 
Mosul  re-  ^^^  close  of  1849.  He  was  kindly  received 
occupied.  ^y  ^^.  Rassam,  the  English  Consul,  and 
had  a  joyful  greeting  from  the  little  band  of  "  gos- 
pel men,"  who  welcomed  the  return  of  their  long 
lost  privileges  of  Christian  instruction.  Of  the 
fifty  who  soon  called  upon  him,  about  twenty  ap- 
peared to  be  decidedly  evangelical,  and  ready  to 
stand  by  the  Gospel  at  all  hazards,  though  few  of 
them  gave  evidence  of  a  work  of  grace  in  their 
hearts.  Twenty  more  were  enlightened  and  ftivora- 
bly  disposed  ;  and  the  remaining  ten  might  be  re- 
garded as  indifferent  or  hostile.  This  little  band 
was  the  remainder  of  those  who  had  been  brought 
under  the  influence  of  the  Gospel,  when  our  breth- 
ren of  the  Mountain  Nestorian  Mission  were  de- 
tained in  the  mysterious  providence  of  God,  to  labor 
and  suffer  there.  Yet  the  Lord  had  not  forsaken 
them,  for  Meekha,  the  ingenious  mechanic,  who  had 
learned  the  truth  from  Mr.  Laurie,  had  given  them 
the  benefit  of  his  steadfast  piety  and  diligent  in- 
struction. 

The  reader  knows,  already,  what  led  to  the  tem- 
why  it  had    porary  occupation  of  Mosul  by  the  Board, 

beenrelin-        f  .  .  . 

quished.  jn  1841.  Its  relinquishment  in  1844,  was 
chiefly  in  view  of  the  fact,  that  the  Episcopal  Church 
of  the  United  States  had  a  mission  then  in  Turkey, 
American       witli  tlic  avowcd  objcct  of  laboring  among 

Episcopal 

Mission.        the  Jacobites  of  Mesopotamia.^     That  mis- 

1  This  was  first  known  through  Dr.  Grant,  who  forwarded  a  copy 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  81 

sion  having"  been  withdrawn  from  the  Turkish  em- 
pire, the  operations  of  the  Board  were  naturally 
extended  again  to  Mosul,  to  look  after  the  fruits  of 
former  labors,  as  well  as  to  meet  the  exigencies  of 
the  mission  in  western  Koordistan. 

The  Rev.  Dwight  W.  Marsh  arrived  at  Mosul  on 
the  20th  of  March,  1850,  going  by  way  of  The  mission 

of  the  Board 

Beirut,  Aleppo,  Aintab,  Oorfa,  and  Diarbe-  reinforced. 
kir ;  from  this  last  place  he  floated  down  the  Tigris 
on  a  raft  supported  by  inflated  goat-skins,  in  less 
than  four  days  to  his  new  home.  He  describes  the 
river  as  breaking  through  between  bold  precipices, 
and  scenery  delightfully  and  unexpectedly  romantic. 
Mr.  Schneider  was  his  travelling  companion  from 
Aintab  to  Diarbekir,  and  Mr.  Ford  was  at  Mosul  to 
greet  him  on  his  arrival.  The  Rev.  William  Fred- 
eric Williams  removed  from  the  Syria  Mission  to 
Mosul  in  the  spring  of  1851,  going  in  company  with 
Dr.  Bacon  and  his  son  Mr.  Leonard  W.  Bacon,  then 
travelling  in  the  East,  Salome  Carabet,  the  eldest 
of  the  girls  in  Mr.  Whiting's  family  at  Abeih,  went 

of  a  letter  from  seven  of  the  American  Episcopal  Bishops  to  the 
Syrian  Patriarch  at  Mardin,  as  CAndence  of  the  fact.  After  stating 
the  object  in  sending  the  Rev.  Horatio  Southgate  to  reside  for  a  time 
at  Mardin,  with  the  hope  of  associating  two  others  with  him,  to  which 
no  exception  could  be  taken,  the  Patriarch  was  informed  by  the  let- 
ter, that  Mr.  Southgate  "  will  make  it  clearly  understood,  that  the 
American  Church  has  no  ecclesiastical  connection  with  the  followers 
of  Luther  and  Calvin,  and  takes  no  part  in  their  plans  or  operations 
to  diifuse  the  principles  of  these  sects." 

VOL.  II.  6 


82        MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

with  Mr.  Williams,  to  take  charge  of  a  school  of 
thirty  g'irls. 

Dr.  Bacon's  visit  to  Mosul  was  in  compliance 
Experience  witli  a  rcqucst  of  thc  Prudential  Commit- 
hi  the  Koor°  tcc,  that  hc  would  make  his  tour  of  relaxa- 
tains.  tion  and  improvement  the  occasion  of  visit- 

ing the  several  stations  of  the  Board  in  Western 
Asia.  The  attempt  to  proceed  from  Mosul  to  Oroo- 
niiah  through  the  mountains  by  the  most  direct 
route,  was  unsuccessful.  The  two  travellers,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Marsh,  soon  after  crossing  the 
Zab,  were  set  upon  by  Koordish  robbers,  who  had 
been  requested  by  an  Agha,  near  Akra,  to  kill  them. 
So  imminent  was  the  peril,  that  they  united  together 
in  prayer  to  God,  led  by  Dr.  Bacon.  Some  Moolahs 
seeing  this,  interceded  for  their  lives,  and  though 
they  could  not  hinder  their  being  plundered,  they 
succeeded  in  sending  them  safely  to  another  Moolah, 
three  hours  distant,  who  was  revered  for  his  sanctity ; 
and  it  was  through  his  resolute  protection,  under 
God,  that  they  effected  a  safe  return  to  Mosul.  Mr. 
Rassam  gave  information  of  the  outrage  to  the 
English  Ambassador,  and  the  Pasha,  in  the  follow- 
punishment  lug  year,  having  received  orders  from  Con- 
bers.  stantinople,  sent  three  hundred  men,  with 

three  cannon,  against  the  robber,  who  was  compelled 
to  pay  the  full  value  of  the  losses,  and  much  more 
besides  to  the  government.^ 

1  Missionary  Herald,  for  1851,  p.  295,  and  1852,  p.  388. 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  83 

The  Assyria  Mission  was  so  named  for  geographi- 
cal reasons.     Its  most  northern  station  at  how  the 

Gospel  came 

this  time,  was  Diarbekir.  Dr.  Grant  passed  to  oiarbekir. 
through  this  city  with  Mr.  Homes,  in  1839,  Messrs. 
Hinsdale  and  Mitchell  passed  through  it  in  1841,  and 
Mr.  Laurie  in  1842.  The  city  was  visited  by  Mr. 
Peabody  in  1849,  when  he  found  several  persons 
awakened  by  reading  the  Scriptures  and  other  books, 
brought  there  by  colporters.  It  was  visited  again 
by  Mr.  Schneider  in  the  following  year,  who  reported 
that  nearly  fifty  Armenians  were  accustomed  to  meet 
on  the  Sabbath  for  reading  the  Scriptures.  These 
were  then  subjected  to  a  severe  persecution,  and 
they  sent  to  Constantinople  for  a  vizierial  letter, 
which  was  granted,  but  brought  little  relief.  Dr. 
Azariah  Smith  organized  a  small  church  at  church  or- 
Diarbekir  in  the  spring  of  1851.  It  in-  ^"'^^'^ 
eluded  both  Armenians  and  Jacobites  ;  but  only  those 
were  to  be  received  who  gave  satisfactory  evidence 
of  piety.  As  soon  as  this  restriction  was  announced, 
the  most  influential  Syrians  in  the  congregation 
resolutely  set  themselves  to  secure  admission  to  the 
church  for  all  Protestants  of  good  moral  character. 
For  a  time  their  efforts  to  unite  the  congregation  in 
opposition  prevented  attention  to  their  ordinary 
business  ;  and  but  for  the  conservative  spirit  of  the 
Armenian  portion,  perhaps  the  audience,  as  a  whole, 
would  have  gone  back  to  their  churches.  In  the  end 
all  were  persuaded  to  listen  to  a  discourse  on  the 


84        MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

subject,  by  Dr.  Smith,  and  the  character  of  the 
youug  ruler,  in  Luke  xviii.  18-30,  was  unfolded  in 
connection  with  Acts  ii.  43-47.  The  exhibition  of  a 
church,  as  an  association  of  men  devoted,  body  and 
soul,  time  and  wealth,  to  the  extension  of  Christ's 
kingdom,  was  new  to  them.  That  repentance  in- 
volved the  ceasing  to  live  for  selfish  and  worldly 
ends,  and  that  faith  in  Christ  included  the  consecra- 
tion of  our  energies  to  his  service,  was  no  part  of 
their  old  creed.  And  though  these  truths  had  been 
previously  preached  by  the  missionaries,  the  practical 
connection  in  which  they  now  came  up  made  them 
more  impressive. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dunmore,  after  spending  some 
Arrival  of  Mr  ^lonths  at  Aiutab,  arrived  at  Diarbekir  in 
Dunmore.  November,  1851.  They  were  accompanied 
by  Stepau,  a  graduate  of  the  seminary  at  Bebek. 
This  man,  not  long  after  his  arrival,  was  rudely  ar- 
rested by  a  Turkish  officer  as  a  Protestant,  and  cast 
into  a  prison,  where  he  spent  the  night  with  vaga- 
bonds and  thieves.  The  Pasha  refused  Mr.  Dun- 
more  a  hearing,  but  at  once  ordered  Stepan's  re- 
lease. 

Mr.  Dunmore  had  not  yet  a  free  use  of  the  Turk- 
ish, which  was  the  language  spoken  by  the  Arme- 
nians ;  but  an  average  of  more  than  seventy  persons 
came  on  the  Sabbath  to  hear  Stepan,  and  new  faces 
were  seen  at  every  meeting. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Dunmore,  a  young 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  85 

man  of  talents,  named  Toraas,  who  had  long*  been 
vacillating,  boldly  declared  himself  a  Prot-  The  future 

native  pas- 

estaut,  and  though  his  bishop  offered  him  tr. 
the  monthly  reward  of  two  hundred  piastres  for  two 
years,  paid  in  advance,  if  he  would  leave  the  Protes- 
tants, his  reply  was :  "  Go  tell  the  bishop  that  I  did 
not  become  a  Protestant  for  money,  and  that  I  will 
not  leave  them  for  money,  even  should  he  give  me 
my  house  full  of  gold."  Tomas  was  then  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  had  an  orphan  brother  and  two 
sisters  dependent  on  him.  He  had  been  a  prosper- 
ous silk  manufacturer,  but  after  he  became  a  Prot- 
estant, both  nominal  Christians  and  Moslems  refused 
to  trade  with  him,  and  he  was  impoverished.  It  was 
decided  to  send  him  to  the  Bebek  Seminary,  with  his 
younger  brother ;  and  to  send  bis  older  sister  to  the 
Female  Seminary  at  the  same  place ;  while  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dunmore  took  the  youngest,  a  bright  little  girl 
of  six  years.  In  this  young  man  we  have  the  future 
native  pastor  of  the  church  in  that  city. 

The  persecutions  inflicted  on  the  Protestants  at 
Diarbekir  were  similar  to  those  described 

Persecutions. 

elsewhere.     But  not  only  were  the  native 
converts,  in   this  remote  city,  oppressed  in   every 
possible  way,  but  the  missionary  reports  himself  as 
being  grossly  insulted,  and  even  stoned  in  the  streets 
whenever  he  went  abroad. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Marsh  performed  a  mission- 
ary tour  to  Mardin,  through  Jebel  Tour,  a  branch 


86       MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

of  the  great  Kurdish  range  of  raouutains  which 
Mr.  Marsh's  crosses  the  Tigris  above  Jezirah,  and  goes 

visit  to  Mar- 

din  westward    toward  the    Euphrates.      These 

rugged,  though  not  lofty  mountains,  cover  fourteen 
hundred  square  miles,  and  form  the  stronghold  of 
the  Jacobites.  Their  ecclesiastical  capital  is  Mar- 
din.  "  High  up  the  mountain's  side,"  writes  Mr. 
Marsh,  "  with  a  steep  descent  of  six  or  seven  hun- 
dred feet  to  the  plains,  the  city  wall  mounts  up  still 
higher,  three  hundred  feet  or  more  ;  and  a  large 
castle  on  the  mountain  top  crowns  the  view."  Here 
he  found  several  persons  favorably  inclined,  and 
recommended  the  place  for  a  missionary  station. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Lobdell,  M.  D.,  and  wife,  reached 
Mosul  in  May  1852.  They  came  through  Aintab, 
Oorfa,  and  Diarbekir.  Such  was  the  desire  of  the 
Dr.  Lobdeii'8  pcoplc  of  Aiutab  for  a  missionary  physician 
S'b  and**  to  take  the  place  of  Dr.  Smith,  that  four 
hundred  and  twenty  of  them  signed  a  peti- 
tion in  a  single  evening,  requesting  him  to  remain ; 
but  he  felt  constrained  to  give  them  a  negative. 
He  speaks  with  pleasure  of  his  brief  sojourn  at 
Oorfa,  which  he  describes  as  beautifully  situated  on 
the  west  side  of  a  fertile  plain,  and  retaining  many 
marks  of  its  ancient  greatness. 

In  the  ten  days  which  Dr.  Lobdell  spent  with  Mr. 
Duumore  at  Diarbekir,  he  was  impressed  by  the 
hold  the  reformation  was  taking  in  that  place.  At 
the  same  time,  he  and  his  missionary  brother  had  a 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  87 

startling  illustnitiou  of  its  hostility  to  the  Gospel. 
They  were  looking  at  the  great  mosque  outrage  at 
of  the  city,  formerly  a  Christian  church,  ^^"'^'"'• 
and  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Dun  more,  "  As  we  were 
standing  in  front  of  it,  in  the  public  highway, 
examining  its  architecture,  several  lads  came  up  and 
began  to  insult  us  and  to  order  us  away.  We  did 
not  notice  them,  but  went  further  from  the  mosque, 
and  stopped  to  examine  some  old  marble  pillars. 
Soon,  however,  we  found  a  rabble  about  us,  who  be- 
gan to  jerk  our  garments.  I  then  turned  and  spoke 
to  them,  and  they  instantly  rushed  upon  us  like 
tigers.  They  seized  Dr.  Lobdell's  hat,  threw  it 
into  the  air,  and  began  to  beat  him.  One  ruffian 
seized  me  by  the  throat.  By  main  strength  I 
loosed  his  grasp,  and  was  moving  off,  when  two 
men  tried  to  wrest  my  cane  from  me,  but  did  not 
succeed.  We  retreated  as  fast  as  possible,  but  when 
we  got  out  of  the  reach  of  their  hands,  they  resorted 
to  throwing  stones,  some  of  them  weighing  two  or 
three  pounds.  One  hit  Dr.  Lobdell  in  the  side,  and 
we  saw  no  alternative  but  to  run  for  our  lives.  We 
went  immediately  to  the  Pasha,  taking  one  of  the 
largest  stones  with  us,  and  made  a  statement  of  the 
facts  in  the  presence  of  the  council.  He  refused  to 
do  anything  more  than  to  send  a  man  to  inquire 
who  was  in  fault,  the  ruffians,  or  we !  He  said  he 
knew  nothing  about  us." 

In  a  tent  supported  by  a  raft  of  one  hundred  and 


88        MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

twenty  inflated  goat-skins.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lobdell 
Descent  of  floated  dowu  tlic  Tigris  to  Mosul.  "The 
the  Tigris.  Arabs,  who  swam  out  upon  their  goat- 
skins, and  the  Kurds  armed  to  the  teeth  upon  the 
shore,  were  alike  unable  to  touch  us,  as  the  river 
was  unusually  high  and  swift.  I  do  not  remember 
having  enjoyed  four  successive  days  so  much.  The 
scenery  is  grand,  equaling  that  of  the  far-famed 
Hudson.  It  might  not  wear  as  well,  but  it  is  unique 
and  wonderful."  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  were  there 
to  welcome  them. 

Mr.  Marsh  was  absent  on  a  visit  to  his  native 
land,  from  whence  he  returned  with  his  wife  in 
May,  1853.  He  was  accompanied  as  far  as  Aintab 
Diarbekira  ^Y  I^^v.  Augustus  Walker  and  wife,  and 
year  later.      ^^.^^^    ^j^^^^^^    ^^    Diarbcklr,    by    Messrs. 

Schneider  and  Walker.  Mr.  Dunmore's  congrega- 
tion had  then  risen  to  nearly  two  hundred  hearers. 

Mr.  Marsh  was  especially  struck,  on  returning  to 
congrega-      Mosul,  wlth  the  greatly  improved  singing 

tional  sing- 

ingat  Mosul,  of  the  cougrcgatiou,  which  he  thought  was 
now  better  there  than  at  Diarbekir,  Aintab,  Constan- 
tinople, or  Beirut.  This  was  due  to  the  unwearied 
pains  taken  by  Mr.  Williams,  though  the  people 
seemed  to  have  a  better  ear  for  music  than  elsewhere 
in  Western  Asia. 

Dr.  Lobdell  found  his  medical  profession  a  great 
Dr.  Lobdell    assistance  to  him  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gos- 

as  a  medical 

missionary,    pel.    Jacobitcs,  Papists,  and  Moslems  came 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  89 

in  considerable  numbers,  and  he  preached  the  Gospel 
alike  to  all.  He  was  overworked,  and  it  was  perhaps 
a  favor  to  him  that  the  judge  was  stirred  up  by 
Popish  priests,  as  the  Moslems  affirmed,  to  forbid 
the  Mohammedans  coming-  to  his  preaching.  The 
judge  was  willing  that  they  should  call  upon  him 
for  medical  aid,  if  he  would  not  preach  the  Gospel 
to  them;  but  the  doctor  declined  administering  to 
the  body,  unless  he  could,  at  the  same  time,  explain 
to  them  "  the  words  of  Jesus  "  (which  all  Moslems 
professed  to  receive)  for  the  benefit  of  their  souls. 

Salome  Carabet  returned  to  Syria,  very  much  in 
the  manner  of  Rebecca  of  old,  to  become  the  wife  of 
the  young  pastor  at  Hasbeiya;  and  the  female  school 
was  thus  deprived  of  its  teacher. 

A  visit  by  Dr.  Lobdell  to  the  Yezidees  in  Octo- 
ber, 1852,  developed  interesting  and  valu-  TheTezi- 
able  information.      Their  doctrines  he  re-  *^**^ 
garded  as  a  strange  fusion  of  Mohammedanism  and 
Christianity  with  the  philosophy  of  the  older  Per- 
sians.^ 

In  June,  1853,  Dr.  Lobdell  travelled  through 
Koordistan  to  Oroomiah.     One  of  his  ob-  Dr.  Lobdeiis 

visit  to 

jects  was  the  improvement  of  his  health ;  oroomiah. 
but   he   greatly   desired,  also,  to    confer  with  the 
brethren  of  the  Nestorian  Mission,  and  to  preach 
the  Gospel  in  the  regions  between.     He  took  with 

1  See  Memoir  of  Dr.  Lobdell,  pp.  213-227  ;  also  Missionary  Herald, 
for  1853,  pp.  109-111. 


90        MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

him  a  native,  who  not  only  spoke  the  Syriac  and 
Arabic,  but  the  Turkish  and  Koordish.^  "  He  came 
to  us,"  wrote  Dr.  Perkins,  "  for  the  benefit  of  his 
impaired  health.  Yet  was  he  buoyant  as  a  lark,  be- 
ing overjoyed  to  find  himself  in  our  happy  circle, 
after  his  perilous  journey  across  the  mountains." 
Two  days  aftet  his  arrival  he  was  seized  with  a  fever 
which  proved  severe  and  obstinate.  But  he  recov- 
ered, and  was  able  to  give  much  thought  to  the 
His  view  as    somcwhat  peculiar  method  of  proceeding 

to  the  eccle-      .  , ,       ,  .       .  .  i   .    i  j_ 

siasticai  poi-   lu    that    missiou  ;    m    which   no    separate 

icy  of  that  •  i       i     i 

missioa.  Protcstaut .  commuuity  had  been  formed, 
and  no  church  organized ;  though  the  missionaries 
had  the  communion  by  themselves,  to  which  they 
invited  only  those  whom  they  believed  to  be  truly 
regenerated.  His  preconceived  opinions  had  been 
somewhat  adverse  to  the  plan,  and  he  and  his  breth- 
ren at  Mosul  had  adopted  other  methods.  But  he 
wrote  to  the  Secretaries  of  the  Board  his  approval 
of  the  main  policy  of  his  brethren  in  Persia,  as  jus- 
tified by  their  peculiar  circumstances,  and  ratified 
by  the  blessing  of  Heaven.  He  specified  some 
things  in  which  he  thought  more  decided  measures 
might  be  taken ;  but  advised  that  the  mission  be  left 
to  follow  the  leadings  of  Providence,  until  a  crisis 
should  come  in  the  Nestorian  Church,  and  then  to 
act  as  they  should  deem  wise  at  the  time. 

Before  returning,  Dr.  Lobdell  made  an  excursion 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1854,  pp.  18-22. 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  91 

of  three  weeks  in  the  province  of  Azerbijau,  going 
as  far  as  Tabriz.  It  was  while  he  was  at  Gawar, 
on  his  way  home,  that  Deacon  Tamo  was  liberated 
from  his  long  imprisonment.  Messrs.  Rhea  Hjg  return 
and  Coan  accompanied  him  to  Mosul.  Dr.  '°  '"°"'^' 
Lobdell  represents  the  two  highest  peaks  of  the 
Jelu  Mountains  as  distinctly  visible  from  Mosul. 
Every  step  through  Koordistan  reminded  him  of  the 
devotion,  courage,  and  energy  of  Dr.  Grant. 

Some  difficulties  existed  in  the  Protestant  commu- 
nity at  Diarbekir,  growing  out  of  the  old  Difficulties  in 

,  the  church 

leaven  of  baptismal  regeneration,  from  at  Diarbekir. 
which  the  church  itself  had  not  been  thoroughly 
purged.  The  church  then  contained  eleven  mem- 
bers,—  eight  men  and  three  women.  Six  of  the 
men  were  Syrian  Jacobites,  and  four  of  these  were 
formerly  deacons  in  their  church.  The  difficulties 
encountered  by  Dr.  Smith  in  1851,  when  he  declared 
his  intention  of  admitting  to  the  church  none  but 
such  as  were  truly  pious,  and  baptizing  only  thera 
and  their  children,  were  now  revived. 

In  view  of  these  things,  a  meeting  of  the  Assyria 
Mission  was  held  at  Mosul  for  ten  days,  in  March, 
1854.  It  was  then  decided  that  Messrs.  Marsh  and 
Lobdell  should  return  with  Messrs.  Dunraore  and 
Walker,  and  assist  in  reorganizing  the  The  church 
church  at  Diarbekir.  Out  of  twenty  can-  ^«°'-e^'^«'^ 
didates  whom  they  examined,  eleven  were  accepted ; 
and,  in  the  presence  of  three  hundred  persons,  were 


92        MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

organized  into  a  new  church,  with  a  creed  and  cove- 
nant.^ Dr.  Lobdell  had  a  hundred  Christian  patients 
Singular       daily  while  there  ;  but  the  Pasha  still  con- 

confiict  of  ,  .  ,       ,  . 

interests.  tluucd  to  rctusc  protcctiou,  aud  the  mis- 
siouaries  were  still  hooted  and  stoned  in  the  streets. 
They  believed,  however,  that  the  Gospel  had  taken 
such  hold  in  the  city  as  to  insure  its  ultimate  tri- 
umph. 

The  church  was  subjected  to  a  severe  trial,  imme- 
strengthout  f^i^tely  after  its  reorganization.  The  Mosul 
of  weakness,  jji-gthreu  had  to  rcturu  to  their  own  work; 
it  was  necessary  for  Mr.  Dunmore  to  join  his  sick 
wife  at  Arabkir;  and  as  it  was  unsafe  for  Mr.  aud 
Mrs.  Walker  to  be  left  alone  at  Diarbekir,  they  went 
to  Aintab  for  the  summer.  The  Koords  robbed  them 
on  their  way,  but  they  returned  in  the  autumn,  ac- 
companied by  David  H.  Nutting,  M.  D.,  and  wife. 
Mr.  Dunmore  remained  at  Arabkir  till  the  spring  of 
1855,  when  he  commenced  the  important  station  of 
Harpoot.  The  missionaries  at  Diarbekir  now  en- 
joyed the  very  welcome  protection  of  W.  R.  Holmes, 
Esq.,  the  newly  appointed  English  Consul.  Dr. 
Nutting's  professional  services  to  the  Pasha,  in  a 
dangerous  illness,  soon  after  his  arrival,  gave  him 
an  introduction  to  almost  all  the  officers  of  the  gov- 
ernment and  influential  Moslems  in  the  city,  and  ob- 

1  I  find,  in  the  archives  of  the  Board,  an  extended  analysis  of  the 
baptismal  question  by  these  brethren,  in  its  bearing  on  the  Oriental 
Churches. 


THE  ASSYRIA   MISSION.  93 

tained  for  him  a  public  expression  of  the  Pasha's 
gratitude.  Instead  of  stonings  in  the  streets,  with- 
out redress,  as  under  the  preceding  Pasha,  the  mis- 
sionaries received  respectful  treatment,  and  had  free 
access  to  all  classes.  Mr.  Walker  found  the  state  of 
things  better  than  he  anticipated.  Certain  disaf- 
fected members  of  the  Protestant  community  had 
repented  of  their  errors.  Persecution  had  not 
shaken  the  faith  of  any  in  the  church.  During  the 
winter  the  congregation  increased  to  two  hundred. 
In  April,  1855,  six  were  admitted  to  the  church,  and 
not  less  than  four  hundred  and  fifty  persons  were 
present.  The  accessions  were  not  only  from  the 
Armenian  and  Jacobite  Churches,  but  also  from  the 
Catholic  Church,  though  fierce  persecution  and  im- 
prisonment were  the  consequence.  A  large  portion 
of  the  Jacobite  Church  were  convinced  of  the  truth, 
and  of  the  emptiness  of  their  own  rites  and  cere- 
monies. Some  openly  avowed  that  they  retained 
their  connection  with  their  old  church  merely  to 
fight  against  it,  hoping  to  turn  the  whole  commu- 
nity to  Protestantism.  The  people  demanded  that 
the  Bible  should  be  read  in  the  church  in  Turkish  or 
Arabic,  instead  of  the  ancient  Armenian  and  Syriac, 
which  were,  to  most  of  them,  dead  languages ;  and 
the  Jacobite  bishop  was  forced  to  yield.  Finding, 
at  length,  that  this  must  rapidly  undermine  the 
priestly  influence,  he  secretly  removed  the  Scriptures 
from  the  church.     But  the  word  of  the  Lord  was 


94       MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

not  bound,  for  the  deacons  or  readers  carried  their 
own  Bibles. 

At  the  out-station  of  Haine,  Stepan,  the  native 
Native  preacher    who    had     come    to    Diarbekir 

preacher  at 

Haine.  with  Mr.  Walker,    was    enabled  by  divine 

grace  to  maintain  his  position.  The  Pasha  at  one 
time  ordered  him  to  leave,  but  he  thought  it  right  to 
disobey.  At  a  subsequent  period,  being  stoned  and 
beaten  in  the  streets,  he  was  obliged  to  flee,  and  the 
Protestants  suflFered  much  oppression.  Through 
the  energetic  efibrts  of  the  Consul  at  Diarbekir,  the 
persecuting  governor  was  deposed,  and  another  ap- 
pointed. 

Across  the  river  from  Diarbekir  is  Cutterbul,  a 
The  Gospel  l^^'g^  Christian  village,  where  were  twenty 
at  Cutterbul.  p^otestauts,  with  several  church-mem- 
bers ;  and  the  missionary,  in  his  occasional  visits, 
gathered  almost  as  large  a  congregation  as  the  one 
at  Mosul.  The  preaching  would  have  been  accepta- 
ble in  Turkish,  or  Koordish,  though  the  people  pre- 
ferred the  Arabic.  Cutterbul  was  but  a  sample  of 
what  the  villages  on  all  sides  of  Diarbekir  might 
have  been,  were  the  station  fully  manned. 

The  Protestants  at  Mosul  obtained  no  relief  from 
Reuef  at  their  oppressive  taxes  until  January,  1854 ; 
''"^'^  when,  through  the  efi'orts  of  Lord  Strat- 

ford de  Redcliffe,  a  firman  was  addressed  to  the 
Pasha  for  their  protection.  The  Pasha  then  or- 
dered an  equitable  rate  to  be  made  for  them,  which 


THE  ASSYRIA   MISSION.  95 

encouraged  the  Protestants,  and  disheartened  their 
enemies.  The  year  was  one  of  progress.  Five  were 
added  to  the  Protestants,  and  two  to  the  church, 
while  there  was  a  decided  improvement  in  the  atten- 
tion given  to  preaching.  The  boys'  school  pros- 
pered, with  forty  pupils.  Women  were  to  some 
extent  instructed  in  reading  the  Bible  by  the  schol- 
ars, who  went  from  house  to  house  for  the  purpose. 
Thirty  adults  were  taught  at  their  houses,  and 
thirty  others  attended  the  male  school  regularly. 
The  church-members  gained  a  reputation  for  strict 
honesty,  temperance,  and  general  excellence.  The 
mere  existence  of  a  church  upon  an  apostolical 
basis,  worshipping  God  in  simplicity,  told  with  force 
against  the  corrupt  hierarchies. 

The  excitements  at  Mosul  during  the  Crimean 
war,  were  often  intense.  At  one  period  g^rsgj(f^^g 
there  was  great  danger  of  an  outburst  of  war.°^  *'^^ 
Mohammedan  fanaticism,  so  that  the  Christians 
were  in  terror  for  their  lives.  Stringent  orders 
from  Constantinople  aroused  the  local  authorities  to 
do  their  duty,  and  the  insolence  of  those  ready  for 
deeds  of  blood  was  checked.  Early  in  May,  1854, 
a  volunteer  reinforcement  of  two  thousand  Koords 
for  the  Turkish  army,  was  quartered  in  the  city, 
and  certain  outrages  indicated  an  approaching  mas- 
sacre of  Christians  and  Jews.  The  evil  was  averted 
by  the  bold  decision  of  the  English  Consul,  who 
went  to  the  Pasha,  and  demanded  that  the  Koords 


96      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

he  sent  at  once  out  of  the  city.  They  were  soon  on 
theii-  way  to  the  seat  of  war. 

Mosul  was  reg-arded  as  free  from  miasma ;  but 
Excessive  *^^^  ^^^^  ®^  ^^^^  summer  days  was  exhaust- 
^'^^'  ing-  to  the  foreigner,  and  the  natives  also 

suffered.  For  a  hundred  days  in  1853,  the  mercury 
stood,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  as  high  as 
98° ;  and  for  eighty  days  it  ranged  from  100°  to  114°. 
The  highest  point  in  the  shade  was  117°.  It  was 
much  the  same  in  the  following  year. 

As  the  summer  advanced,  the  health  of  Mrs. 
Death  of        Williams  declined,  and  it  became  obvious 

Mrs.  Will- 
iams, that  she  could  no  longer  endure  the  exces- 
sive heat.  She  was  desirous  of  removing  to  a  cooler 
climate,  and  Dr.  Lobdell  went  with  her  and  her 
family  to  the  mountains.  When  they  were  near 
the  Zab  river,  they  met  Dr.  Wright  from  Persia, 
who  had  come  with  the  hope  of  conducting  them  to 
Oroomiah.  The  rest  is  told  in  the  words  of  Dr. 
Lobdell.  "  We  could  go  no  farther,  and  on  the 
29th  of  June,  at  sunset,  were  on  our  way  towards 
Mosul;  our  sick  friend  being  anxious  to  go  there 
to  die,  but  most  of  the  time  unconscious  of  the  in- 
cidents and  fatigues.  On  the  last  day  of  June  we 
reached  Akra  ;  a  litter  was  made,  twelve  Christians 
bore  it,  and  the  next  morning  at  six  o'clock,  while 
moving  on  the  road,  that  litter  became  a  bier  !  An 
hour  farther,  and  a  rough  box  was  made  ready  for 
her  we  had  loved.     The  children  knew  not  what  had 


THE  ASSYRIA   MISSION.  97 

happened.  At  evening',  the  box  was  bound  upon  a 
mule,  and  we  rode  silently  for  fourteen  hours,  and 
crossed  to  the  ruins  of  Nineveh  shortly  after  sun- 
rise. The  flag  of  the  English  Consul  was  thrown 
over  the  body  as  we  crossed  the  Tigris.  A  narrow 
house  had  already  been  prepared  for  it  outside  the 
walls  (not  even  the  dead  body  of  a  Moslem  could 
have  been  carried  within  the  gates) ;  Mr.  Marsh 
had  a  short  service ;  and  there  we  laid  the  wife,  the 
mother,  down  to  her  last  sleep."  ^ 

The  Crimean  war  inflamed   Mohammedan  fanati- 
cism all  over  Western  Asia.     Such  was  its  Dr.  Lobdeu 

visits  Bag- 
influence  in   Persia,  that  the  missionaries  ^ad. 

requested  Dr.  Lobdell,  in  view  of  his  recent  visit,  to 
go  to  Bagdad,  and  represent  their  critical  situation 
with  reference  to  the  Persian  government  to  Mr. 
Murray,  English  Ambassador  to  Persia;  who  was 
to  be  there  in  January,  1855,  on  his  way  to  his 
post.  He  accordingly  commenced  his  voyage  down 
the  river  on  the  10th  of  January,  upon  the  custom- 
ary raft  of  skins,  and  on  the  fourth  day  reached 
Bagdad.  The  ambassador  arriving  on  the  8th  of 
the  following  month.  Dr.  Lobdell  had  a  satisfactory 
interview  with  him,  which  probably  led  to  the  sub- 
sequent visit  of  Mr.  Murray  to  Oroomiah.  His 
return  was  by  post-horses  in  fifty-eight  hours.  The 
road  made  a  long  curve  to  the  east  to  avoid  the 

1  Memoir  of  Dr.  Lobdell,  p.  330. 
VOL.  n.  7 


98     MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Arabs  of  the  desert.  The  nearest  route  would  have 
been  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tigris. 

Ten  days  after  this,  Mr.  Marsh  and  Mr.  Williams 
went  to  Diarbekir  to  attend  the  second  annual 
Sickness  and  meetiuff  of  the  mission.    The  next  day  Dr. 

death  of  Dr. 

Lobdeu.  Lobdell  prepared  a  sermon,  talked  with  a 
crowd  of  papists,  preached  to  eighty-five  patients, 
delivered  his  sermon  to  the  church  in  the  evening, 
and  went  to  bed  with  a  chill  and  fever.  On  the 
day  following,  he  wrote  his  last  letter,  and  made  his 
last  entry  in  his  journal.  He  gradually  grew  worse, 
and  was  at  times  delirious.  A  message  was  sent 
for  the  absent  brethren,  but,  owing  to  the  disturbed 
state  of  the  country,  it  was  the  twentieth  day  of  his 
sickness,  and  only  five  days  before  his  death,  when 
Mr.  Marsh  reached  Mosul.  As  he  entered  the 
room,  the  Doctor  threw  his  arms  about  his  neck 
and  wept.  The  church-members  prayed  earnestly 
for  his  recovery,  and  were  eager  to  serve  as  watch- 
ers. He  passed  easily  away,  as  the  Sabbath  was 
closing,  on  the  25th  of  March,  1855,  to  his  eternal 
rest.     His  age  was  twenty-eight. 

Dr.  Lobdell's  life  was  short  to  fill  four  hundred 
Hischarac-  '  P^gGS  lu  Profcssor  Tylcr's  excellent  Me- 
**"  moir,  but  the  volume   is   none  too  large. 

His  life,  measured  by  activities  and  results,  was 
long.  His  character  was  many  sided,  and  every 
side  glowed  with  consecrated  ardor.  He  made  the 
most  of  himself  as  a  man,  a   scholar,  a  Christian, 


THE  ASSYRIA   MISSION.  99 

and  a  Christiau  missionary.  Like  the  Apostle  Paul, 
"forgetting-  those  things  which  are  behind,  and 
reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before," 
he  pressed  "  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the 
high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

He  had  a  strong  desire  to  go  as  a  missionary  to 
China,  but  the  author,  in  his  official  correspondence, 
though  seldom  venturing  to  oppose  such  predilec- 
tions, was  so  impressed  with  the  difficulties  to  be 
overcome  at  Mosul,  and  with  Dr.  Lob  dell's  adapta- 
tion to  that  field,  that  he  called  his  attention  to  it, 
and  soon  received  the  reply  that  he  would  go,  as 
soon  as  he  could  get  ready  ;  and  from  that  time 
the  new  field  grew  in  his  aflfections.  That  he  could 
or  would  have  done  more  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
in  any  other  sphere  of  labor,  no  one  who  atten- 
tively considers  his  remarkable  life  will  venture  to 
affirm. 

Dr.  Henri  B.  Haskell  succeeded  Dr.  Lobdell  at 
Mosul,  and  reached  Diarbekir,  with  the  Rev.  George 
C.  Knapp  and  wife,  appointed  to  that  station,  in 
April,    1856.      The   Christian    worship   at  Religious 

serTices  at 

Diarbekir  had  now  assumed  a  regular  form.  Diarbekir. 
There  were  four  services  on  the  Sabbath.  At  the 
first,  an  hour  after  sunrise,  fifty  persons  assembled 
for  prayer  and  praise,  and  the  meeting  was  con- 
ducted by  two  native  teachers ;  one  reading  his  own 
translation  of  Doddridge's  "  Rise  and  Progress  "  in 
Turkish ;  the  other,  after  having  read  through  Dr. 


100     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Goodell's  "  Notes  on  Matthew,"  and  a  volume  of 
his  sermons  in  Turkish,  had  commenced  reading 
discourses  of  his  own.  The  second  was  at  the  time 
of  "  noon  cry "  from  the  minarets,  when  Mr. 
Walker  or  Baron  Tomas,  now  returned  for  a  time 
from  Bebek,  preached  to  about  two  hundred  persons, 
who  listened  more  attentively  than  most  American 
congregations.  At  the  ninth  hour  (three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon)  Baron  Tomas  met  a  Bible-class  of 
sixty  or  eighty  of  the  more  intelligent  Protestants. 
The  last  preaching  service,  at  the  tenth  hour,  was 
usually  attended  by  a  hundred  or  a  hundred  and  fifty 
persons.  From  forty  to  seventy  persons  were  pres- 
ent at  the  Friday  evening  meeting.  The  monthly 
concert  was  well  attended,  aiid  with  increasing  con- 
tributions. Mrs.  Walker  had  a  Wednesday  after- 
noon meeting  for  the  women,  at  which  from  twenty 
to  forty  were  present. 

The  Gospels  had  been  translated  into  Koordish  by 
The  Gospels  *^^^  uativc  helper  at  Haine,  and  copies  of 
m  Koordish.  M^tthcw  had  been  received  from  the  press 
in  Stamboul.  As  soon  as  the  good  deacon  Shemmas 
could  get  the  box  containing  them  from  the  custom- 
house, he  retired  to  his  room  and  poured  out  his 
soul  in  thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  great  mercy,  and 
prayed  that  He  would  now  greatly  bless  his  Word  in 
this  new  tongue. 

The  church  at  Diarbekir  was  doubled  in  1856,  and 
all  belonging  to  the  mission,  both  male  and  female. 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  101 

found  full  employment  in  imparting  instruction. 
Baron  Tomas  returned  to  Bebek,  to  spend  two  years 
in  the  study  of  theology. 

Excepting  the  death  of  the  second  Mrs.  Williams, 
on  the  25th  of  December,  there  was  nothing  in 
1857,  specially  demanding  attention. 

Mr.  Williams  spent  the  summer  of  1858  in  Mar- 
din,  intending  to  occupy  it  as  a  new  station,  j^^^  ^^^^^^ 
and  returned  in  November  to  make  it  his  "*'  *^''"^'" 
permanent  residence.  He  found  the  people,  as  he 
expected,  exceedingly  bigoted,  yet  hardy  and  intelli- 
gent. There  was  an  important  advantage  in  the 
pure  mountain  air  of  the  place.  The  language  was 
Arabic,  as  at  Mosul.  More  than  half  of  the  twenty 
thousand  inhabitants  were  nominal  Christians;  there 
were  three  Arabic-speaking  villages  within  six  miles, 
and  the  whole  of  Jebel  Tour  was  accessible.  He 
found  the  Romish  Church  stronger  than  he  had 
expected,  having  a  Papal-Syrian  patriarchate  just 
established  within  the  city.  He  was  received  by  the 
ecclesiastics  with  bitter  denunciations.  For  a  time, 
no  "one  dared  to  acknowledge  himself  a  Protestant, 
though  many  Mohammedans  called  upon  him,  and 
seemed  to  appreciate  his  very  intelligent  and  gentle- 
manly conversation  and  manners. 

Subsequently  a  papal  priest,  to  whom,  in  former 
years,  he  had  given  a  Bible,  joined  himself  Remarkable 

case  of  con- 

to  the  missionary,  and  patiently  endured  version 
severe   persecution.      But    the   most    encouraging 


102     MISSIONS    TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

case  was  that  of  an  iufluential  merchant  named 
Meekha.  He  was  orig-iually  an  Armenian,  and, 
thirty  years  before  had  become  a  Papist,  and  carried 
over  one  hundred  houses  with  him.  He  was  the 
champion  of  the  papal  party.  His  conversion  was  on 
this  wise.  The  priest  just  mentioned  had  sown  much 
Gospel  truth  among  his  disciples,  and  among-  them 
was  a  son-in-law  of  Meekha.  At  length  the  old 
man,  provoked  by  an  instance  of  dishonesty  and 
falsehood  in  his  bishop,  and  unable  to  read  himself, 
sent  for  his  son-in-law  to  read  to  him  the  Gospel. 
The  young  man  was  kept  reading  for  three  days, 
until  the  Gospels  and  Epistles  were  all  finished. 
Amazed  to  find  his  religion  opposed  by  the  whole 
spirit  and  teachings  of  the  divine  oracles,  Meekha 
sent  for  the  priests  and  they  came.  "  Prove  me 
your  doctrines  from  the  Bible,"  said  he.  Convinced, 
from  their  manner  of  reply,  that  they  had  nothing  to 
say,  he  ceased  from  the  worship  of  the  Virgin,  and 
declared  himself  a  Protestant ;  and  his  wife  was  as 
sincere  and  earnest  as  he.  Though  father,  mother, 
and  three  unmarried  daughters  were  excommuni- 
cated, and  subjected  to  continued  insults,  their  souls 
were  overflowing  with  joy  and  thankfulness  that  the 
Gospel  had  come  to  them. 

Speaking  of  this  family,  Mr.  Williams  says :  "  I 
have  never  witnessed  such  amazed  eagerness  as  that 
with  which,  for  the  first  time,  they  comprehended 
that  salvation  is  without  money  and  without  price  — 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  103 

absolutely  free  and  gratuitous.  It  was  to  them 
news  —  good  uews  ;  and  when  I  call  to  mind 
Meekha's  impetuous  temperament,  and  see  him 
listen  with  such  docility  to  Christ's  teaching,  I  can- 
not but  hope  that,  though  imperfectly  sanctified, 
the  '  good  work '  is  begun  in  him,  which  God's 
grace  will  complete.  He  accepts  no  new  truth  with- 
out a  challenge,  and  nothing  short  of  a  '  Thus  saith 
the  Lord,'  will  give  it  currency  with  him.  At  one 
of  my  evening  lectures  I  alluded  to  Isaiah's  state- 
ment, '  All  our  righteousnesses  are  as  filthy  rags,* 
when  two  or  three  spoke  up  :  '  What 's  that  ? '  On 
repeating  it  they  were  incredulous,  and  demanded 
chapter  and  verse.  I  gave  it  to  them  next  day,  and 
it  has  taken  hold  of  them  like  iron.  I  have  seen 
Meekha  since  throw  that  verse  into  a  crowd  of  op- 
posers  with  such  force  as  to  start  them  from  their 
seats  with  an  emphatic  '  God  forbid,'  and  the  most 
positive  denial  that  such  a  verse  could  be  in  the 
Bible.  When  I  turned  to  the  passage,  and  put  the 
book  into  their  hands  that  they  might  read  it  for 
themselves,  they  could  not  believe  their  own  eyes, 
but  continued  poring  over  it,  reading  carefully  from 
the  head  of  the  chapter ;  and  this  very  day  some  of 
them  came  in  to  ask  what  it  meant,  and  so  changed 
in  their  manner  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes.  Be- 
fore, obstinate,  dogged,  unreasonable ;  now,  meek, 
docile,  and  asking  what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is. 
One  said,  'That  went  like  a  dagger  to  my  heart, 


104     MISiilONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

and  I  slept  none  all  that  night.'  And  when  to-day, 
I  turned  to  Rom.  iii.  26,  Eph.  ii.  8-9,  and  Rom.  iv. 
1-4,  they  listened  as  children.  Truly  the  word  of 
the  Lord  is  a  sharp  sword,  piercing-  to  the  heart." 

Mr.  Knapp's  health  forbidding  a  longer  residence 
at  Diarbekir,  he  commenced,  in  May,  1858,  a  new 
New  station  statiou  at  Bitlis,  a  healthy  place  several 
atBitiis.  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Haskell  were  with  them  during  the 
latter  half  of  the  summer,  and  spent  the  summer 
of  1859  at  Mardin;  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marsh  and 
Mrs.  Lobdell  decided  to  remain  at  Mosul.  In  May, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marsh  were  called  to  part  with  their 
second  and  only  surviving  child.  A  fortnight 
later,  Mrs.  Marsh  herself  had  a  severe  attack  of 
Death  of  fever,  but  soon  recovered.  The  fatal  at- 
Mrs.  Marsh.  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^,^^  mouths  later,  and  h6r  death 
occurred  unexpectedly.  The  thermometer  in  the 
early  part  of  the  night  before,  stood  at  113°.  Dur- 
ing the  day  it  was  120° ;  and  on  the  night  of  her 
death  it  was  100°  on  the  roof,  where  they  slept.  She 
had  had  a  slight  illness  for  a  few  days,  and  it  now 
became  a  burning  fever,  with  delirium,  and  all  rem- 
edies proved  vain.  She  died  on  the  12th  of  August, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-two,  after  a  residence  of  six 
years  at  Mosul,  as  an  earnest  and  faithful  laborer. 
Her  mother  and  her  only  sister  had  died  before 
reaching  the  age  of  thirty,  and  it  is  possible  Mrs. 
Marsh  might  not  have  lived  as  long  in  her  native 


THE  ASSYRIA  MISSION.  105 

land,  as  she  did  at  Mosul.  "  Yet  it  is  probable," 
as  her  husbaud  wrote  at  the  time,  "  that  the  heat, 
so  unusually  extreme,  cutting  the  leaves  from  the 
tree  in  our  court  by  thousands,  and  causing  many 
natives  of  the  country  to  fall  dead  by  the  roadside, 
was  the  immediate  occasion  of  her  death." 

Mrs.  Lobdell  found  reason,  in  the  necessities  of 
her  children,  for  returning  to  America,  and  Return  of 
in  April,  1860,  she  bade  adieu  to  the  little  ^'thM?''^'" 
band  of  women,  who,  for  eight  years,  had 
sat  at  her  feet  to  learn  of  Jesus.     She  reached  her 
native  land  in  August,  in  company  with  Mr.  Marsh. 

Mosul  remained  unoccupied  during  the  summer, 
the  heat  at  that  season  being  found  too  Difficulties 
great  for  endurance ;  though  the  climate  o°cupyTng  ° 
is  agreeable  for  nearly  three  fourths  of  the 
year.  The  summer  retreat  prepared  by  Dr.  Lobdell 
at  Deira,  near  Amadiah,  was  distant  seventy  miles, 
or  four  days'  travel,  and  it  required  at  least  nine 
days  to  reach  Mardin. 

There  were  but  two  or  three  places  in  Turkey 

where  missionaries,  up  to  this   time,  had  Great  pros- 
perity at 
had  such  marked  success  as  in  Diarbekir.  Diarbekir. 

The  church,  at  the  close  of  1859,  numbered  sixty- 
one,  and  after  the  April  communion,  seventy-three. 
Rarely  did  a  communion  pass  without  some  addi- 
tions. Protestants  were  a  recognized  power  among 
the  people,  and  their  influence  was  extending.  Books 
were  eagerly  sought  after  and  paid  for.    Illegal  taxes 


106     MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

had  nearly  ceased  in  the  city  itself.  After  a  weary 
struggle  of  nine  years,  the  assessment  of  the  tax-roll 
for  the  Protestants  was  made  upon  a  satisfactory 
plan,  which  bid  fair  to  be  permanent.  The  commer- 
cial standing  of  the  Protestants  was  above  that  of 
any  other  sect,  though  there  were  no  wealthy  men 
among  them.  But  the  increase  of  the  congregation 
had  been  retarded  by  the  want  of  sufficient  accom- 
modations for  public  worship.  The  lamented  re- 
moval of  Mr.  Holmes,  the  English  Consul,  to  a  more 
desirable  consulate  in  European  Turkey,  while  it  was 
a  great  loss  to  the  mission,  threw  his  house  upon 
the  market,  and  it  was  purchased  for  a  place  of 
worship  at  less  than  half  its  cost.  It  required  only 
slight  alterations,  and  could  be  indefinitely  enlarged. 
The  members  of  the  church  subscribed  a  thousand 
dollars  towards  its  purchase,  and  a  certain  amount 
was  granted  by  the  Board.  The  school  for  boys,  and 
the  one  for  girls,  were  both  eminently  a  success.  At 
Cutterbul,  half  the  village  was  Protestant  and  the 
rest  more  than  half  so,  and  the  place  of  prayer  would 
not  hold  the  congregation. 

In  1860,  the  stations  of  the  Assyria  Mission  were 
Close  of  the  brouglit  witliiu   the   field  of  the  Eastern 

Assyria  Mis-  .  i       i  i  .        -mx. 

Bion.  Turkey  Mission,  and  the  Assyria  Mission 

ceased  to  have  a  separate  existence. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE   NESTORIANS. 

1851-1857. 

The  return  of  Mr.  Stoddard,  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhea,  was  mentioned  in  the 
first  volume.  He  thus  describes  the  manner  of  his 
reception  :  "  While  crossing  the  plain  of  Oroomiah, 
we  arrived  at  a  village  twelve  miles  from  the  city, 
where  a  company  of  our  brethren  and  sisters,  with 
their  little  ones  and  many  of  the  Nestorians,  greeted 
us  with  tender  emotions.  A  tent  had  been  pitched, 
and  a  breakfast  prepared;  and  we  all  sat  down  on 
the  grass,  under  the  grateful  shade,  to  partake  of 
the  repast.  Our  hearts  were  full.  During  the  three 
hours  which  we  spent  at  this  village,  Nestorians  of 
all  classes,  many  of  them  our  brethren  in  Christ, 
were  continually  arriving ;  and  when,  soon  after 
noon,  we  set  out  for  the  city,  our  progress  resembled 
more  a  triumphal  procession  than  a  caravan  of  weary 
travellers.  Every  mile  increased  our  numbers.  Our 
way  was  often  almost  blocked  up  by  the  people  who 
came  to  meet  us,  some  on  horseback,  some  on  foot ; 
bishops,  priests,  deacons,  village  teachers,  members 
of  the  seminary,  with  whom  I  had  many  times  wept 


108    MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

and  prayed,  all  pressing  forward  in  eager  haste  to 
grasp  our  hands,  and  swell  the  notes  of  welcome. 
Three  years  ago,  they  followed  us  out  of  the  city, 
holding  our  horses  by  the  bridle,  and  begging  us  not 
to  leave  them,  while  their  mournful  looks  bespoke 
the  sorrow  of  their  hearts.  Now  I  was  returning  to 
them  with  restored  health,  to  identify  my  interests 
with  theirs.  I  brought  w^ith  me  the  salutations  of 
many  thousand  Christians  in  our  native  land,  and 
was  accompanied  into  the  harvest-field  by  new  reap- 
ers. As  I  turned  from  thoughts  of  the  past,  and 
looked  on  the  animating  scene  around  us,  the  con- 
trast almost  overcome  me." 

This  was  in  1851.     lu  October  of  the  following 
Death  of       year,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins,  going  to  meet 

Judith  Per- 
kins. Mr.  and  Mrs,  Crane,  and  Sarah  Stoddard, 

on  their  way  from  Trebizoud,  experienced  a  severe 
affliction  in  the  death  of  their  only  surviving  daugh- 
ter, a  very  interesting  girl.  The  journey  was  ex- 
pected to  be  of  advantage  to  the  health  of  Mrs.  Per- 
kins and  to  their  two  children,  Judith  and  Henry ; 
and  it  was  due  to  the  new-comers  that  some  one,  ac- 
quainted with  the  language  and  country,  should  aid 
them  through  the  long  and  tedious  route  from  Erz- 
room.  After  a  ride  of  thirty  miles,  they  were  unex- 
pectedly exposed  to  a  pestilential  atmosphere  at  Klioy, 
where  they  spent  the  night.  All  went  well  with  them 
until  they  had  crossed  the  plain  of  Khoy,  and  the 
mountain  beyond,  and  passed  their  last  resting-place. 


THE  NE8T0RIANS.  109 

when  the  beloved  daughter  showed  signs  of  cholera. 
They  could  not  rest  there  under  the  burning  sun, 
and  there  was  no  water  near ;  so  they  were  obliged 
to  proceed  three  or  four  miles  further,  to  the  Moslem 
village  of  Zorava.  The  nature  of  the  disease  was 
now  painfully  certain.  The  Mohammedan  villagers 
were  terrified  and  inhospitable.  They  would  not 
even  allow  a  morsel  of  bread  to  be  sold  to  the  faith- 
ful Nestoriaus  who  accompanied  the  family,  nor  even 
barley  for  their  tired,  hungry  horses.  And  when 
the  limbs  of  the  child  were  cold  and  stiffening  under 
the  power  of  the  deadly  disease,  they  would  not  sell 
one  stick  of  wood  to  warm  water  for  her ;  but  again 
and  again  ordered  the  heart-stricken  travellers  to 
leave  the  village  with  their  dying  child.  As  a  further 
aggravation,  after  the  father  had  twice  administered 
laudanum,  the  vial  containing  the  medicine  disap- 
peared from  their  tent,  and  could  no  more  be  found. 
There  were  all  the  usual  accompaniments  of  the 
cholera,  and  in  that  high  region  the  night  air  was 
cold.  Collecting  dry  weeds,  they  managed  to  kindle 
a  fire,  and  heated  a  stone  which  they  placed  at  her 
feet. 

The  spirit  of  the  child  was  quiet,  and  beautifully 
resigned  to  the  will  of  God.  There  had  been  no 
doubt  as  to  her  piety  before  her  sickness,  and  the 
whole  scene  was  all  that  could  have  been  expected 
of  an  older  person.  At  length  the  end  came. 
"  Breathijig  shorter  and  shorter  for  fifteen  or  twenty 


110    MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

minutes,"  writes  her  father,  "  she  gently  slept,  as 
we  believe,  in  Jesus,  at  three  o'clock  on  the  morning- 
of  September  4,  1852,  aged  twelve  years  and  twenty- 
six  days." 

The  bereaved  and  aflBlicted  family  was  now  a  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles  from  home ;  but  home  was  the 
place  for  her  burial.  The  mother  washed  the  corpse 
with  her  own  hands,  and  dressed  it  for  the  grave. 
As  no  coffin  could  be  obtained,  the  loved  one  was 
sewed  in  a  strong  oriental  felt  of  the  size  and  form 
of  a  bed-quilt,  and  placed  upon  a  bed,  and  two  wil- 
low sticks,  cut  from  the  margin  of  the  brook,  were 
sewed  upon  the  sides  of  the  bed,  and  it  was  then 
bound  to  the  back  of  a  faithful  horse;  the  panic- 
stricken  villagers  calling  upon  them  all  the  while, 
"  Depart,  depart."  With  what  different  feelings 
were  they  received  on  their  return,  by  their  large 
circle  of  weeping  friends  !  One  of  the  Nestoriaus, 
who  had  accompanied  the  family,  standing  by  the 
grave,  artlessly  described  to  the  Nestoriaus  the 
affecting  scenes  he  had  witnessed,  and  all  were 
bathed  in  tears.  "  In  all  the  families  of  the  vil- 
lage," wrote  Miss  Fidelia  Fiske,  "  Judith  had  taken  a 
deep  interest,  and  several  of  the  middle-aged  women 
had  been  taught  by  her  in  the  Sabbath-school.  In- 
deed, she  had  greatly  endeared  herself  to  all  the  scores 
and  hundreds  of  Nestoriaus  who  knew  her,  and  was 
a  universal  favorite  among  the  ])eople.  A  Nestorian 
of  a  distant  village  said,  on  hearing  of  her  death. 


THE  NESTORIANS.  Ill 

"  There  was  none  like  her,  —  so  beautiful,  so  wise, 
so  pious.     She  would  pray  like  an  angel."  ^ 

The  Gospel  made  its  way  among  the  Nestorians 
amid   many  discoui'agements.     Yet   there  progress  in 

the  moun- 

was  progress.  Even  in  the  mountains  of  tains. 
Koordistan,  where  the  brethren  could  do  little 
more  than  watch  the  leadings  of  Providence,  there 
was  much  that  was  hopeful.  It  was  an  indication 
of  promise,  that  the  people  of  Memikan,  the  moun- 
tain station,  notwithstanding  their  sufferings  for  the 
sake  of  the  Gospel,  did  not  falter  in  their  adherence 
to  it.  Strangers,  after  listening  to  the  reading  and 
reciting  of  the  school  children,  sometimes  went 
away  exclaiming,  "  Glory  to  God !  There  is  nothing 
bad  in  all  this."  Religious  worship  was  well  at- 
tended. Even  in  the  busy  season,  when  the  laborers 
were  in  their  fields  before  dawn,  and  worked  till  late, 
a  goodly  number  attended  the  daily  evening  service. 
Nor  was  it  here,  only,  that  a  listening  ear  was  found. 
In  a  tour  among  some  of  the  largest  neighboring 
villages,  the  missionaries  were  kindly  received. 
Some  sat  from  morning  till  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
giving  earnest  heed  to  the  preaching.  Could  the 
people  have  been  assured  that  they  had  nothing  to 
fear  from  the  civil  power,  they  would  have  braved 
their  ecclesiastics.  Even  as  it  was,  the  missionary 
pursued  his  work  without  molestation,  and  was 
treated  with  uniform  respect  by  the  authorities. 

1  See   TTie  Persian  Flower ;  A  Memoir  of  Judith  Grant  Perkins  of 
Oroomiah,  Persia. 


112     MISSIONS   TO   TEE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

On  the  plain  of  Oroomiah,  there  was  more  preach- 
p  .^o«  nn    in^  than  ever  before,  and  the  line  of  de- 

Progress  on  o  ^ 

thepiaan.  markation  between  an  evangelical  church 
and  a  dead  Christianity,  was  becoming  more  and 
more  distinct.  Mar  Yohannan  boldly  discarded 
many  customs  of  his  Church,  and  then  seemed  dis- 
posed to  go  as  fast  in  the  work  of  reformation  as  his 
people  could  be  induced  to  follow ;  and  there  was  the 
same  spirit  among  the  helpers  of  the  mission. 

The  two  seminaries  were  coming  under  a  stricter 
The  semi-  discipliuc,  and  aimed  at  a  higher  standard 
"""*  of   scholarship.     About  half  of  the  forty 

students  under  Mr.  Stoddard  were  hopefully  pious, 
and  some  of  them  gave  high  promise  of  usefulness. 
One  was  appointed  to  succeed  the  bishop  of  the 
largest  diocese  in  the  province.  Several  were  from 
different  mountain  districts,  and  one  was  from  the 
valley  of  the  Tigris. 

The  number  in  the  female  seminary  had  increased 
from  forty  to  fifty,  and  it  was  delightful  to  witness 
the  intelligent  zeal  of  some  teachers  in  the  Sabbath- 
schools.  The  ten  who  graduated  in  March  were  all 
hopefully  pious,  well  educated,  and  quite  refined,  and 
most  of  them  were  expected  to  become  teachers  in 
their  own  villages. 

The  description  given  by  Mr.  Stocking  of  a  very 
A  suggestive  ^g^d  pricst,  whom  he  saw  among  the  hills 
ca.e  Of  piety.  ^^^.^^  ^j  Gawar,  cucouragcs  the  belief  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  sometimes  makes  the  faintest  rays 


THE  NESTORIANS.  113 

of  Gospel  light  effectual  to  salvation.  The  man  was 
nearly  deaf,  and  bending*  under  the  weight  of  a  cen- 
tury or  more,  according  to  the  statement  of  the 
people,  but  was  able  to  converse  intelligently  about 
events  which  happened  two  or  three  generations 
before.  "  We  were  much  surprised,"  writes  Mr. 
Stocking,  "at  the  correctness  of  his  views  in  regard 
to  some  of  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  particularly  as  to  the  necessity  of  an  evangelical 
faith,  in  distinction  from  one  that  was  dead,  and  of 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  renewing  and  sancti- 
fying believers.  Though  not  remarkable  for  his 
learning,  he  appears  to  have  been  taught  by  the 
great  Teacher  himself;  for  he  had  never  before  seen 
a  missionary.  As  I  left  him,  to  see  him  no  more, 
he  affectionately  took  my  hand,  and  said  he  had  one 
request  to  make,  which  was  that  we  would  remember 
him  in  our  prayers  at  the  mercy-seat.  He  also  re- 
quested a  New  Testament  in  the  ancient  and  modern 
Syriac,  for  his  village,  which  we  sent  to  him." 

In  August,  1851,  Mr.  Coan,  accompanied  by  Priest 
Dunka  and  Deacons  John  and  Kliamis,  scenes  on  an 
visited  the  districts  of  Jeloo,  Bass,  Tek-  tour. 
homa,  Tiaiy,  and  Diss,  and  discoursed  to  more  than 
four  thousand  persons.  A  part  of  this  ground  had 
never  been  trod  before  by  a  missionary.  The  eccle- 
siastics were,  as  usual,  the  greatest  opposers,  but 
there  were  two  pleasing  exceptions.  In  Alsan,  a 
village  of  five  hundred  souls,  there  was  one  priest 


114     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

who,  at  first,  seemed  reserved,  but  as  his  prejudices 
were  removed,  he  became,  with  his  people,  an  atten- 
tive listener.  The  missionaries  tarried  four  or  five 
hours,  preaching  the  Word  to  the  hungry  multitude. 
The  people,  in  little  companies,  conversed  about  what 
they  had  heard,  and  publicly  upbraided  their  priest  for 
letting  them  remain  in  such  ignorance.  He  made 
humble  confession,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  send  his 
little  boy,  a  bright  looking  lad,  to  Oroomiah  for  in- 
struction. At  another  village,  they  found  a  de- 
cidedly evangelical  priest.  That  his  influence  over 
his  large  village  was  good  was  apparent  in  the  quiet 
and  orderly  behavior  of  the  people,  and  their  atten- 
tion to  the  Gospel.  Indeed,  they  were  accustomed 
to  the  word  of  exhortation  daily  at  their  evening 
prayers.  This  priest  had  a  small  school  every  winter, 
to  which  several  lads  resorted  from  neighboring  dis- 
tricts. 

A  very  different  scene  was  witnessed  in  the  village 
of  Mar  Ziah,  which  was  thronged  with  ecclesiastics 
who  obtained  their  livelihood  by  begging.  "  They 
were  dressed,"  Mr.  Coan  writes  concerning  them, 
"in  scarlet  and  silk,  and  were  exceedingly  haughty 
in  their  bearing.  We  met  the  people  in  the  church- 
yard, but,  after  a  few  words,  there  arose  such  a 
tumult  as  I  hope  never  to  see  again.  For  an  hour 
or  more,  the  place  was  like  a  pandemonium.  Some 
wished  to  hear  what  we  had  to  say ;  but  others,  with 
savage  fierceness,  flew  at  them,  yelling  at  the  top  of 


THE  NESTORIANS.  115 

their  voices,  and  looking  as  if  ready  to  drink  their 
blood.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  or  two  their  rage 
had  spent  itself,  and  after  a  few  words  of  solemn 
admonition,  we  left  them."  At  another  villag-e, 
scarcely  three  miles  distant,  where  was  no  priest,  a 
few  persons  assembled  in  a  room  where  the  mission- 
aries stopped,  and  their  solemn  and  tearful  attention 
was  very  unlike  the  noisy  scene  they  had  just  left. 
One  young  man  begged,  with  tears,  to  receive  a  copy 
of  the  Gospel. 

Nazee  was  one  of  three  Tiary  girls  who  came  to 
Oroomiah  after  the  massacre  of  the  moun-  j^^^^^  ^ 
tain  Nestorians,  and  in  the  seminary  be-  at'h^rX)^- 
came  hopefully  pious.  She  was  now  living  "^  °™*' 
at  Cliumba,  and  having  heard  of  the  coming  of  her 
missionary  friends,  was  standing  on  the  bank  of 
the  impetuous  Zab,  awaiting  their  arrival.  There 
was  no  fording  the  torrent,  but  the  travellers  ven- 
tured across  on  two  single  string  pieces,  bending 
under  them  at  every  step.  She  greeted  them  joy- 
fully, and  hastened  to  prepare  a  place  for  their 
lodging.  While  she  was  gone,  the  Malek  came  and 
took  them  to  his  house.  Nazee  was  disappointed,  but 
followed,  eager  to  hear  every  word.  During  the 
address  to  the  villagers  assembled  on  the  roof,  it 
was  affecting  to  see  the  eagerness  with  which  she 
listened.  Though  others  left  she  could  not  leave, 
and  not  till  near  midnight  did  she  bethink  herself, 
and  apologize  for  keeping  Mr.  Coan  up  so  late  after 


116     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

a  fatiguing  day's  journey.  She  was  a  light  in  her 
village,  by  which  the  deeds  of  the  wicked  had  been 
reproved,  and  she  had  consequently  suffered  much 
persecution.  Some  friends  in  America,  interested 
in  the  account  which  had  been  given  of  her  while  in 
the  seminary,  had  sent  her  articles  of  dress;  but 
her  neighbors  assembled  and  maliciously  tore  them 
into  fragments  before  her  eyes.  She  bore  it  meekly, 
and  only  prayed  for  them.  She  expected  fresh  in- 
sults because  of  the  kindness  shown  her  in  the  pres- 
ent visit.  Long  before  light,  on  the  day  they  were 
to  leave,  she  was  with  the  visitors,  anxious  to  im- 
prove the  few  moments  left  for  Christian  conversa- 
tion ;  and  she  followed  them,  lonely  and  sad,  to  the 
river's  side.  There  they  kneeled  by  the  roaring 
stream,  and  commended  her  to  the  Great  and  Good 
Shepherd. 

Mr.  Stoddard  mentions  the  visit  of  Mr.   Khaui- 
koff,  a  Russian  scientific  gentleman,  in  the 

Altitudes  of  '  °  ' 

STand°^'  summer  of  1852,  to  obtain  information 
places.  concerning  the  elevations  and  climates  of 
these  districts.  Lake  Oroomiah  was  ascertained  to 
be  about  four  thousand  one  hundred  feet  above  the 
ocean,  and  the  city  four  thousand  five  hundred  feet, 
the  plain  sloping  down  gently  towards  the  lake. 
Mount  Seir  rises  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  above  the  city,  and  seven  thousand  three 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  the  ocean;  differing 
not  greatly,  in  real  height,  from  the  White  Moun- 


THE  NESTORIANS.  117 

tains  ill  New  Hampshire.  The  mission  residence,  on 
the  mountain  side,  is  a  thousand  feet  above  the  city. 
The  mountains  of  Koordistan,  some  of  which  are 
capped  with  snow  through  all  the  year,  often  rise  to 
the  height  of  twelve  thousand  feet,  and  one  peak  is 
supposed  to  be  fourteen  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 
Mr.  Khauikoff  afterwards  became  Russian  ^  ^y^^^i^^ 
Consul  General  at  Tabriz,  and  proved  him-  ^'^"'*' 
self  a  sincere  and  valuable  friend  to  the  mission. 

Failure   of  health  constrained   Mr.    Stocking  to 
return,   with   his    family,   to  the    United  Mr.  stock- 
States,  and  he  was  never  able  to  resume  tome. 
his  missionary  labors.     Since  his  lamented  decease, 
a    son    has    taken    his    place  among    the    Nesto- 
rians. 

It  should  be  gratefully  acknowledged,  that  vio- 
lence towards  missionaries  has  almost  everywhere 
been  the  exception,  and  not  the  rule.  It  (.^^^  ^^ 
has  been  so  even  in  Koordistan.  But  Mr.  '^°^'''^^- 
Cochran,  while  travelling  with  several  Nestorians 
through  Nochea,  was  assailed  by  five  robbers  in  the 
employ  of  a  Koordish  chief,  named  Seyed  Khan 
Bey.  As  Moslems  the  assailants  were  of  course 
reckless  of  the  life  of  Christians  ;  and,  for  a  time, 
the  party  were  apprehensive  of  being  murdered. 
But  at  last,  while  the  freebooters  were  intent  on 
their  prey,  the  company  fled  up  the  steep  mountain 
side,  leaving  their  effects.  Their  horses  were  after- 
wards recovered. 


118    MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

The  year  1854  opened  with  a  revival  in  both  the 
Another  re-  seuiinaries.  At  the  commencement  of  it, 
^''^^'  scarcely  half  the  students  in  either  of  the 

institutions  gave  evidence  of  piety,  which  was  an 
unusually  small  proportion.  The  thought  of  this, 
and  especially  that  several  of  the  senior  class  were 
about  going  forth  into  the  world  without  Christ,  led 
to  earnest  prayer,  and  to  efforts  which  were  followed 
by  an  immediate  blessing.  The  special  religious  in- 
terest continued  several  weeks,  and  extended  to  the 
large  village  of  Geog  Tapa,  but  th«  results  appear 
not  to  have  been  distinctly  reported. 

The  eighteen  young  men  who  graduated  in  1854, 
Seminary  wcrc  of  higher  promisc  than  any  previous 
graduates,  dasg.  Scvcral  of  thc  perfomiauces  at  their 
graduation  were  very  gratifying,  particularly  the 
valedictory  addresses,  pronounced  by  a  young  man  of 
eighteen,  which  would  not  suffer  in  matter  or  man- 
ner, Dr.  Perkins  thought,  by  the  side  of  similar 
addresses  at  any  American  college.  Nearly  all  were 
hopefully  pious,  and  were  returning  to  homes  widely 
distant  from  each  other. 

In  some  parts  of  the  field  there  was  much  enthu- 
Extraordi-      siasm.     lu  Gcog  Tapa,  for  example,  about 

nary  enthu- 
siasm, seventy  adults  had  commenced  learning  to 

read.     The  mode  pursued  there  and  elsewhere,  was 

to  induce  teachers,  scholars  in  the  village  schools, 

and  other  readers  to  teach  adults,  by  the  promise  of 

a  Bible,  Testament,  or  other  book,  if  they  were  sue- 


THE  NESTORIANS.  119 

cessful.  At  au  examination,  the  forenoon  was  de- 
voted to  the  girls'  school,  taught  by  two  graduates 
of  the  female  seminary,  and  the  afternoon  to  the 
Sabbath-school.  Such  a  crowd  of  Nestorians  was 
present,  that  it  was  necessary  in  the  afternoon,  to 
meet  in  a  grove.  The  first  class  examined  in  the 
Sabbath-school  consisted  of  men  from  twenty  to 
seventy  years  of  age,  headed  by  the  chief  man  of 
the  village.  Then  followed  a  class  of  women,  fifty 
or  sixty  in  number,  from  forty  to  fifty  years  of  age. 
These  classes,  not  being  able  to  read,  had  been 
taught  orally.  Next  came  a  class  of  men,  about 
twenty  in  number,  and  a  class  of  twenty-three 
women,  who  had  recently  learned  to  read.  These 
had  been  taught  individually  by  boys  connected 
with  the  village  schools,  each  of  whom  received 
a  copy  of  the  Old  Testament  as  a  reward.  On 
the  plain  of  Oroomiah  seventy-three  free  schools 
were  reported,  with  more  than  a  thousand  boys, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  girls  and  women  as 
pui^ils. 

In  Gawar,  two  schools  embraced  fourteen  board- 
ing and  thirty-two  day  scholars.  Fourteen  of  these 
were  from  Jeloo,  Bass,  and  Tekhoma  districts. 
Among  them  were  four  deacons,  four  from  the 
family  of  the  bishop  of  Jeloo,  and  nearly  all  were 
from  prominent  families.  They  were  wild  moun- 
taineers, and  in  some  things  difiicult  to  manage, 
but  they  acquired    knowledge  rapidly  and  with  de- 


120     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

light ;  and  the  coustaut  study  of  the  Bible  wrought 
a  perceptible  change  in  them.  In  the  Bootan  dis- 
tricts, hitherto  inaccessible  to  missionary  influence, 
there  was  now  a  strong  desire  for  schools,  and  for 
the  labors  of  evangelical  teachers. 

The  New  Testament  in  the  modern  language  was 
beginning  to  be  circulated  among  the  peo- 

Books. 

pie ;  a  much  enlarged  edition  of  the  hymn 
book  had  been  issued,  and  a  volume,  entitled  "  Scrip- 
ture Facts,"  had  a  wide  circulation.  Mr.  Perkins 
had  completed  a  translation  of  Doddridge's  "  Rise 
and  Progress,"  and  was  engaged  in  translating 
Barth's  "  Church  History." 

Mr.  Crane  died  at  Gawar  on  the  27th  of  August, 
Death  of  1854,  at  the  commencement  of  a  career 
Mr.  Crane,  ^f  \ingU  promisc.  So  ardently  was  he 
beloved  by  the  people  there,  that  at  the  funeral  ser- 
vice the  whole  assembly  repeatedly  broke  forth  into 
weeping.  The  afflicted  widow  was  called,  within  a 
week  of  her  husband's  death,  to  mourn  also  the  loss 
of  a  beloved  son,  and  removed  to  Mount  Seir,  where 
she  was  a  valued  helper  in  the  mission.  She  re- 
turned home  in  1857.  Mr.  Rhea  and  Miss  Harris 
were  united  in  marriage  in  October,  and  spent  the 
winter  at  Gawar. 

The  audacity  of  the  papal  missionaries,  backed 
Audacity  of    by   tlic   Frcuch   embassy,   was   marvelous. 

papal  niis- 

Biouaries.  Thc  Auiericau  mission  having  been  impor- 
tuned to  open  a  school  in  the  large  village  of  Khos- 


THE  NESTORIANS.  121 

rova,  in  Salmas,  where  poijery  preclomiuatecl,  two 
youug  men,  graduates  of  the  seminary,  were  suc- 
cessively sent  thither.  The  first  was  several  times 
driven  away,  through  the  instigation  of  the  Laza- 
rists,  and  those  who  were  friendly  to  the  mission 
also  became  objects  of  persecution.  The  second  was 
assailed  by  the  mob,  headed  by  the  French  chief  of 
the  Lazarists,  and  by  a  bishop.  These  two  men, 
with  their  own  hands,  threw  him  into  a  canal,  and 
called  on  the  people  to  drown  or  kill  him.  He  was 
mercifully  delivered,  but  narrowly  escaped  with  his 
life.  The  matter  being  reported  to  Mr.  Abbott,  the 
English  Consul  at  Tabriz,  the  chief  of  English  and 
the  Lazarists,  with  some  fifteen  of  his  sat-  tection. 
ellites,  went  thither,  and  apprehending  a  cool  recep- 
tion from  the  Consul,  whose  protection  the  Lazarists 
enjoyed  in  common  with  the  American  missionaries, 
he  applied  for  assistance  to  the  Russian  Consul, 
proposing  to  transfer  his  passports  to  his  hands. 
Mr.  Khauikoff  refused,  and  severely  rebuked  them 
for  their  conduct.  Mr.  Abbott  obtained  an  order 
from  the  Governor  of  Azerbijan  to  lay  heavy  fines 
on  the  Mussulman  deputies  of  Khosrova  for  with- 
holding protection,  and  on  the  principal  papists  for 
their  acts  of  violence,  with  the  requirement  of 
bonds  for  future  good  behavior. 

Messrs.  Abbott  and  Stevens,  English  consuls 
at  Tabriz  and  Teheran,  kindly  exerted  their  protect- 
ing influence,  and  Mr.  Cochran  subsequently  spent 


122     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

a  week  at  Khosrova,  and  had  his  house  thronged 
Mr.  Cochran  Gveij  eveniug  with  from  fifty  to  a  hundred 
atKhosroTa.  ^^^  gf^^  peoplc,  cagcr  to  listen  to  the 
preaching  of  the  Word.  The  ecclesiastics  raged, 
and  stirred  up  the  agent  of  the  master  of  the  vil- 
lage (who  lives  in  Tabriz)  to  endeavor  to  drive  our 
brother  away ;  but  the  attempt  failed.  Sixty  houses 
gave  their  names  and  seals,  wishing  to  become 
Protestants.  They  were  exceedingly  desirous  of 
having  a  missionary,  and  even  threatened,  good- 
naturedly,  to  take  one  by  force  to  live  among  them. 
The  reader  may  remember  what  Dr.  Lobdell  said 
Matter  of      of  tlic  coursc  of  this  mission  in  respect  to 

church  or- 
ganization,     the    forming    of  distinct    churches.^      Dr. 

Perkins,  writing  in  May,  1855,  gives  the  following 

account  of  the  progress  of  the  reformation  towards 

that  result :  "  Our  communion  occurred  about  two 

weeks  ago,  and  nearly  one  hundred  communicants 

sat  down  to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  including  our 

mission.     It  was  a  solemn   and   delightful  season. 

Among  the  native  brethren  present  were  Mar  Yohan- 

uan  and  Mar  Elias ;  and  most  of  the  others,  of  both 

sexes,  were  educated  and  quite  intelligent ;  but,  what 

is  of  far  greater  importance,  they  were,  as  we  trust, 

true  Christians.     It  would  be  easy  at  once  to  triple 

the  number  from  those  who,  in  the  judgment  of 

charity,  are  the  children  of  God ;  but  we  think  it 

better  to  introduce  them  somewhat  gradually  and 

1  Chapter  xxvii. 


THE  NESTORIANS.  123 

cautiously  to  the  ordinauce ;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
we  would  uot  too  long  allow  any  of  the  sheep  and 
lambs  of  Christ's  flock  to  suffer  for  want  of  this  im- 
portant means  of  grace.  It  is  exerting-  a  powerful 
influence  on  those  who  participate  in  it,  and  on 
many  others ;  and  it  cannot  fail  ultimately  to  pro- 
duce the  effect  either  of  redeeming  the  ordinance 
from  abuses,  as  administered  in  Nestorian  churches, 
or  drawing  off  the  pious  part  of  the  people  to  a  sep- 
arate observance  of  it.  We  are  quite  willing  that 
the  scriptural  administration  of  the  ordinance  to  the 
pious  Nestorian s  should  work  out  either  of  these 
results,  in  the  legitimate  time  and  way,  or  both  of 
them,  as  the  Lord  shall  direct." 

Some  months  later,  notice  was  given  that,  in  the 
future,  instead  of  personal  invitations,  the  door  would 
be  thrown  open  for  all  who  should  consider  them- 
selves worthy  candidates.  Uniting  with  the  mis- 
sionaries would  thus  seem  more  like  a  voluntary  and 
public  profession  of  religion.  None  were  to  be  re- 
ceived, however,  to  the  communion  without  a  private 
examination.  On  one  sacramental  occasion  about 
one  hundred  united  with  the  missionaries,  and  more 
than  thirty  of  them  for  the  first  time.  A  large  num- 
ber were  also  present  as  spectators,  many  of  them 
deeply  interested. 

Deacon  Guwergis  of  Tergawer,  the  well  known 
"  Mountain  Evangelist,"  died  on  the  12th  Death  of 

Deacon 

of  March,  called  suddenly  from  earnest  and  Guwergis. 
most  useful  labors  to  his  reward. 


124     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

The  course  of  the  Persian  government  towards  the 
Hostility  of    mission  and  its  friends,  at  this  time,  was 

the  Persian  /  •    n  »  tt-  i 

government,  yerj  unsatisfactorj.  Asker  Khan,  a  general 
in  the  Persian  army,  was  appointed  to  investigate 
the  truth  of  certain  charges  brought  by  the  papists 
against  the  American  missionaries,  and  early  evinced 
a  most  unfriendly  feeling  towards  them,  and  a  par- 
tiality for  their  accusers.  Indeed,  he  took  no  pains 
to  conceal  his  hostility,  and  did  all  he  could  to  stop 
the  schools  and  other  evangelizing  agencies.  But 
Powerful  *^^^  missionaries  had  the  aid,  as  far  as  aid 
protection,  ^^^jj  ^^  rendered,  of  the  Hon.  C.  A.  Mur- 
ray, the  English  Ambassador,  and  of  Mr.  Abbott  at 
Tabriz,  and  Mr.  Stevens  at  Teheran,  and  also  of  Mr. 
Khanikoff,  the  Russian  Consul  General  at  Tabriz. 
The  disturbed  state  of  political  relations,  and  espe- 
cially the  want  of  harmony  between  the  English  and 
Persian  governments,  made  it  impossible  for  these 
friends  to  accomplish  what  they  desired  to  do  in 
their  behalf.  After  withdrawing  from  Teheran,  Mr. 
Murray  visited  Oroomiah,  and  the  correspondence 
which  then  passed  between  him  and  the  missionaries, 
showed  his  desire  to  aid  both  the  suffering  Nesto- 
riaus  and  the  missionary  work.  In  his  absence,  the 
Russian  Consul  General  became  their  protector, — 
"  at  first,"  as  he  said,  "  unofficially,  but  with  very 
good  heart ;  and  officially,  whenever  he  should  have 
the  right  so  to  do."  It  is  remarkable,  and  reveals 
a  protecting  Providence,  that  no  department  of  labor. 


THE  NESTORIANS.  125 

with  the  exception  of  village  schools,  very  materially 
suffered  at  this  time. 

lu  February,  1856,  there  beg^an  to  be  indications 
of  the  special  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ^  new  re- 
in some  of  the  villages  occupied  by  native  '^''*'" 
helpers ;  and  very  soon  there  w^ere  marked  indica- 
tions of  another  work  of  grace  in  the  two  seminaries. 
The  feeling  in  both  the  schools  became  very  general. 
The  voice  of  prayer  was  heard  on  every  side ;  and  a 
large  proportion  of  those  who  were  not  pious,-  ap- 
peared to  be  seeking  in  earnest  the  way  of  life.  On 
the  30th  of  March,  Mr.  Cochran  reported  that,  with 
the  exception  of  those  most  recently  admitted,  nearly 
all  were  hoping  that  they  had  passed  from  death 
unto  life.  In  the  villages,  also,  there  were  cases  of 
peculiar  interest. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhea  were  alone  in  Gawar.    In  the 
autumn  it  was  deemed  advisable,  in  view  of  oawar  vaca- 

ted  for  a 

the  insurrectionary  state  of  Koordistan,  time. 
that  they  should  withdraw  for  a  time.  They  at  first 
felt  it  their  duty  to  remain  ;  but  the  progress  of 
events  soon  made  it  plain  that  Gawar  was  an  un- 
suitable place  for  a  lone  lady,  especially  when  winter 
should  render  it  impossible  for  her  to  remove.  Mr. 
Rhea,  while  at  Oroomiah,  continued,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, to  superintend  the  labors  of  the  native  helpers 
in  Memikan,  and   he   returned   the  next  summer, 

with  Mrs.  Rhea,  to  their  mountain  home.  Discom- 
fiture of  the 
The  Koordish  chieftains,  who  had  proudly  enemy. 


126     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

boasted,  that  they  would  put  their  heels  upon  the 
necks  of  the  poor  Christians,  were  soon  fleeing  in 
dismay  before  the  advancing  Ottomans. 

Mr.  Stoddard  wrote,  in  September,  1856,  that  for 
six  mouths,  in  consequence  of  the  withdrawal  from 
Persia  of  the  English  Ambassador,  the  missionaries 
had  been  without  any  political  protection,  and  at  the 
The  Lord       mercv  of  a  hostile  government,  yet  there 

their  protec-  .  ,  ,      . 

tor-  was  perhaps  never  a  time  when  their  work 

presented  a  more  cheering  aspect  on  the  whole. 
The  seminaries,  being  on  the  mission  premises,  suf- 
fered less  annoyance  than  did  the  village  schools, 
which  were  scattered  widely  over  the  plain.  The 
teachers  in  these  schools  had  many  of  them  been 
educated  in  the  seminaries,  and  were  altogether 
superior  as  a  class  to  what  they  were  a  few  years 
before ;  and  thus  the  standard  of  instruction  was 
raised,  and  more  religious  influence  was  exerted  over 
the  pupils.  Nor  was  there  ever  a  time  when  more 
people  were  brought  within  the  sound  of  the  gospel, 
or  when  there  were  more  stated  attendants  on 
preaching.  And  much  use  was  made  of  the  Monthly 
Concert  on  the  first  Monday  of  the  month.  The  whole 
day  was  devoted  to  the  natives.  "Early  Monday 
morning,"  writes  Mr.  Stoddard,  "  some  of  our  friends 
arrive  from  the  nearer  villages,  and  others  are  con- 
tinually dropping  in  during  the  forenoon.  At  about 
the  dinner  hour,  nearly  all  are  assembled.  We  oc- 
cupy considerable  time  with  them  in  private,  or  in 


THE  NESTORIANS.  127 

little  companies,  each  one  attending  to  the  helpers 
under  his  care,  in  hearing  the  monthly  reports  of 
their  labors  and  trials,  their  hopes  and  fears,  and 
intermingling  the  reports  with  religious  conversation 
and  prayer.  At  three  in  the  afternoon  we  assemble, 
and  spend  an  hour  or  two  in  public  religious  exer- 
cises. In  the  evening  a  similar  meeting  The  monthly 
is  held,  when  the  natives  not  only  speak  <=°'"=^''*- 
freely,  but  often  occupy  nearly  the  whole  time,  leav- 
ing the  brother  who  has  charge  of  the  meeting  little 
to  do.  It  very  often  happens,  also,  that  after  the 
meeting  has  been  together  two  hours,  there  are 
several  who  feel  that  they  want  to  be  heard,  if  but 
for  a  few  moments."  These  monthly  occasions  Mr. 
Stoddard  enjoyed  exceedingly,  and  came  to  look  upon 
the  "  First  Monday  "  as  the  great  day  of  the  month. 
In  October,  Messrs.  Stoddard  and  Cochran  and 
Miss  Fiske  made  a  tour  of  three  weeks  in  Mountain 
the  mountains  of  Koordistan.  At  Gawar  **'"'^' 
they  were  joined  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhea,  and  visited 
the  districts  of  Ishtazin  and  Bass.  From  that  point 
Messrs.  Cochran  and  Rhea  extended  their  journey 
to  Amadiah,  and  returned  to  their  party  at  Tekhoma, 
a  week  later.  Thence  they  passed  through  the  dis- 
tricts of  Tal,  and  up  the  Zab  to  Gawar.  The  fact 
that  American  ladies  traversed  in  safety  the  gorges 
and  precipices  of  central  Koordistan,  was  an  en- 
couragement to  native  helpers  and  their  families  to 
reside  in  those  difficult  regions ;  but  such  tours  were 
too  fatiguing,  probably,  to  be  often  repeated. 


128     MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

The  object  of  the  visit  to  Amadiah  was  to  make 
Search  for  a  fui'ther  exploratioDS  with  reference  to  the 

■western  sta-  .  „ 

tion.  formation  of  a  station  on  the  western  side 

of  the  mountains.  The  mass  of  the  people  were  on 
that  side,  and  could  not  be  advantageously  reached 
from  Oroomiah.  The  eastern  district  was  fast  be- 
coming supplied  with  pious  helpers,  and  it  seemed 
very  desirable  for  that  section  of  the  country  to 
share  in  this  initiatory  work,  before  anything  oc- 
curred to  hinder  it.  The  convictions  of  the  brethren 
as  to  the  desirableness  of  commencing  a  station 
there  were  much  strengthened,  and  Mr.  Cochran 
offered  his  own  services  for  that  purpose. 

November  was  ushered  in  by  an  event  deeply  in- 
An interest-  tcrestiug  to  the  luissiou  families;  a  public 
rng  event,  profcssiou  of  rcligiou  by  the  three  eldest 
children  of  the  mission  ;  and  hope  was  entertained 
as  to  the  piety  of  some  of  the  younger. 

Asker  Khan,  agent  of  the  Persian  government 
Violence  of    at  Oroouiiah,  now  became  more  trouble - 

gOTernment 

agents.  souic  thau  cvcr,  resorting  to  every  form  of 
annoyance  in  his  power.  At  the  instance  of  Mr. 
Khauikoff,  Dr.  Wright  and  Mr.  Stoddard  visited  him 
at  Tabriz,  to  see  what  could  be  done  to  induce  the 
government  to  check  the  doings  of  its  agent.  But 
in  this  they  failed,  though  the  Consul  did  all  he  could 
to  assist  them.  Even  the  Turkish  Consul  volun- 
teered his  aid,  but  almost  in  vain.  Through  Mr. 
Khauikoff,  they  learned  that  the  orders  from  Tehe- 


THE  NESTORIANS.  129 

ran  to  the  Kaim  Makaui  required  him  to  forbid  the 
labors  of  the  missionaries  in  the  province  of  Salmas ; 
to  see  that  no  school  was  established  save  in  the  two 
places  where  missionaries  resided ;  and  that  the 
number  of  the  schools  should  not  exceed  thirty,  noj* 
the  number  of  pupils  one  hundred  and  fifty.  He 
was  to  require  that  no  girl  receive  instruction,  at  all 
events,  in  the  same  school  with  boys.  The  mission- 
aries were  not  to  induce  any  person  to  change  his 
religion,  and  were  to  enter  into  a  written  engage- 
ment not  to  send  forth  preachers.  Books  conflict- 
ing with  existing  religions  in  Persia  were  not  to  be 
printed,  and  native  teachers  and  preachers  were  to 
be  approved  by  Mar  Yoosuf  and  Mar  Gabriel,  two 
unprincipled  and  bitter  opposers  of  evangelical  re- 
ligion. Such  were  the  orders  issued,  it. is  believed 
at  the  instigation  of  the  French,  by  the  Prime  Min- 
ister of  Persia,  and  Messrs.  Stoddard  and  Wright, 
unable  to  secure  even  delay  in  carrying  them  out, 
returned  to  Oroomiah.  The  mission  now,  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  Consul,  made  a  formal  application 
for  protection  to  the  Russian  Ambassador  at  Tehe- 
ran. 

Asker  Khan  was  assassinated  six  days  after  the 
return  of  the  brethren  from  Tabriz,  by  a  how  these 

agents  were 

Koordish  chief  at  Mergawer.     But  his  co-  removed. 
adjutor,  Asker  Aly  Khan,  governor  of  the  Nestori- 
ans,  pursued  the  same  persecuting  course,  urged  on 
by  the  Kaim  Makam  at  Tabriz.     The  career  of  the 


130      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Kaim  Makain,  however,  was  now  short,  for  in  Jan- 
uary, 1857,  the  populace  of  that  city,  exasperated 
by  his  oppression,  rose  in  a  body,  broke  into  his 
palace,  plundered  it,  and  compelled  him  to  flee  for 
his  life.  He  was  subsequently  summoned  to  Tehe- 
ran, and  on  his  approach  to  that  city,  was  stripped 
of  his  honors,  mounted  on  a  pack  saddle,  and  thus 
led  to  prison,  while  a  fine  was  imposed  on  him  of  a 
hundred  thousand  tomans. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    NESTORIANS. 

1857-1863. 

The  sojourn  of  three  weeks  at  Tabriz  had  been  a 
source  of  constant  anxiety  to  Messrs.  Stoddard  and 
Wright,  and  the  former  had  premonitory  symptoms 
of  fever  on  his  way  home.  But  he  was  not  appre- 
hensive on  that  account,  and  finding  Mr.  Cochran 
and  two  of  the  native  teachers  disabled  by  sickness, 
he  devoted  much  time  and  labor  to  the  Seminary, 
and  to  the  correspondence  which  had  accumulated 
in  his  absence.  Yet  fever  was  threatening.  Death  of  Mr. 
and  on  the  22d  of  December,  ten  days  after  ^'°'^'^^'"'^- 
his  return,  he  became  decidedly  ill.  On  the  25th  he 
was  confined  to  his  bed,  where  he  lay  for  two  and 
thirty  days,  while  the  fever  ran  its  fatal  course.  He 
died  in  great  peace  January  26,  1857,  in  the  thirty- 
ninth  year  of  his  age.  The  public  funeral  services 
were  in  Syriac,  and  his  remains  were  borne  to  their 
last  resting-place  by  graduates  of  the  seminary, 
whose  conversion  dated  back  to  the  first  revival. 

The  mind  of  Mr.   Stoddard  was  cast  in  a  fine 
mould.     The  older  members  of  the  Board  remem- 


132     MISSIONS    TO   THE  ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

ber  him  at  the  Annual  Meeting  iu  Pittsfield  iu 
Hischarac-  1849.  My  own  thought  at  the  time  was, 
**'■  that  were  an  angel  present  in  human  form, 

his  appearance  and  deportment  would  be  much  like 
those  of  Mr.  Stoddard.  A  calm,  seraphic  joy  shone 
ill  his  face,  and  all  that  he  said  aiid  did  was  just 
what  all  delighted  to  hear  and  see.  His  presence 
did  much  to  give  a  character  to  that  meeting.  Mr. 
Stoddard  had  a  frail  body,  and  an  almost  feminine 
grace  of  person,  like  the  popular  impression  of  that 
disciple  who  leaned  on  the  bosom  of  his  Lord ;  but, 
like  that  disciple,  he  had  strength  of  principle  aud 
inflexibility  of  purpose.  His  consecration  to  the 
missionary  work  was  no  sudden  impulse.  It  was  the 
result  of  repeated,  aud  sometimes  unexpected,  meet- 
ings and  conferences  with  Dr.  Perkins,  whose  saga- 
cious eye  had  marked  him  for  a  missionary.  But 
the  question  once  settled,  it  was  settled  for  life.  He 
went  whole-souled  into  the  work,  and  never  doubted 
that  his  call  to  it  was  of  God.  His  talents,  which 
were  of  a  high  order,  aud  his  learning,  which  ex- 
cited the  admiration  of  Persian  nobles  and  princes, 
were  unreservedly  consecrated.  "  He  goes  among 
the  churches,"  said  the  lamented  Professor  B.  B. 
Edwards,  of  the  Andover  Seminary,  "  burning  like 
a  seraph.  So  heavenly  a  spirit  has  hardly  ever  been 
seen  in  this  country." 

Mr.  Stoddard's  daughter  Harriet  followed  him  to 
Death  of  his  ^''^  gi'avc  withiu  two  iiiontlis,  at  the  age  of 
daughter.       thirteen,  a  victim  to  the  saiuc  discasc.    She 


THE  NESrORIANS.  133 

was  sustained  by  the  same  calm  trust  iu  Christ, 
which  lighted  up  the  last  hours  of  her  excellent 
father. 

Dr.  Perkins  wrote  iu  1857,  that  when  the  mission 
was  commeuced,  twenty-four  years  before,  R^trospec- 
hardly  a  score  of  Nestorian  men  were  able  *'''*  ^'^' 
to  read  intelligently,  and  but  a  single  woman,  the 
sister  of  the  Patriarch.  The  people  had  no  printed 
books,  and  but  few  copies  even  of  portions  of  the 
Bible  in  manuscript,  and  these  were  all  iu  the  an- 
cient Syriac,  and  almost  unintelligible.  Their  spoken 
language,  the  modern  Syriac,  had  not  been  reduced 
to  writing.  Their  moral  degradation  was  extreme. 
Still  there  was  a  remarkable  simplicity  in  their  con- 
ception of  religious  doctrines,  and  a  remarkable  ab- 
sence of  bigotry  in  their  feelings,  as  compared  with 
other  oriental  sects,  and  they  were  very  accessible  to 
the  missionaries.  The  change  had  been  great.  Of 
the  fifty-six  in  the  male  seminary  when  he  wrote, 
thirty  were  hopefully  pious  ;  and  so  were  niuety-one 
of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  who  had  been  connected 
with  it.  These  were  the  fruits  of  seven  revivals.  Of 
the  one  huudred  and  three  who  had  been  connected 
with  the  female  seminary,  sixty,  or  more  than  one- 
half,  gave  good  evidence  of  conversion ;  and  the 
same  might  be  said  of  three  fourths  who  were  then 
in  the  school.  A  large  portion  of  the  young  men 
who  had  left  the  seminary,  were  either  preachers  of 
the  gospel,  or  very  competent  teachers  in  the  village 


134     HUSSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

school ;  aud  the  greater  part  of  the  religious  grad- 
uates of  the  other  seminary  were  married  to  those 
missionary  helpers.  This  seminary  had  heen  blessed 
with  eight  revivals.  The  instruction  in  both  institu- 
tions had  been  almost  wholly  in  the  native  tongue. 

The  entire  Bible  had  been  translated  into  the 
spoken  language,  which  the  mission  had  reduced  to  a 
written  form  ;  and  two  thousand  intelligent  readers, 
the  result  of  the  schools,  had  been  supplied  with  the 
sacred  volume.  Indeed,  the  Scriptures  had  been 
printed  and  given  to  the  people  in  the  ancient  Pes- 
chito  version,  as  well  as  in  the  spoken  tongue.  To 
these  were  added  valuable  works  on  experimental 
and  practical  religion,  for  the  use  of  the  schools,  and 
to  meet  the  wants  of  a  community  in  the  early  stages 
of  a  Christian  civilization. 

Though  separate  churches  had  not  been  organized, 
none  but  pious  Nestorians,  for  the  last  two  or  three 
years,  had  been  admitted  to  communion  with  the 
mission  church.  The  number  who  had  thus  com- 
muned was  about  two  hundred,  and  it  was  thought 
that  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
more  were  worthy  of  a  place  at  the  Lord's  table. 

The  French  Jesuits  and  their  emissaries  had  been 
a  sore  trial,  but  their  success  had  not  been  great ; 
and  they  had  probably  been  useful,  by  stimulating 
the  mission  and  the  pious  Nestorians  in  their 
Master's  service. 

Mrs.  Rhea  had  been  two  years  a  member  of  the 


THE  NESTORIANS.  135 

mission  as  Miss  Harris,  aud  three  as  Mrs.  Rhea. 
Her  active  and  useful  life  closed  on  the  7th  ^^^^^  ^^ 
of  December,  1857,  at  the  age  of  twenty-  ^''-  ^'^'*- 
nine  years  and  five  months.  "  Her  sick  room,"  says 
Dr.  Wright,  "  was  a  hallowed  place,  where  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness  shone  with  wonderful  brightness." 
Another  revival  of  religion  occurred  in  both  the 
seminaries,  at  the  opening  of  the  year  1858,  Decisive  in- 

1-1  1     1  /~i  m  dication  of 

which  was  extended  to  Geog  Tapa  and  other  progress. 
villages.  Miss  Fiske,  in  charge  of  the  female  semin- 
ary, relates  a  fact  of  much  significance.  She  writes  : 
"  Some  of  the  girls'  pious  friends  came  to  pray  with 
them  yesterday,  and  I  was  led  to  inquire  how  many 
of  them  have  a  pious  father  or  mother  (or  both),  or 
older  brother  or  sister ;  and  I  was  surprised  to  find, 
as  I  think  you  will  be  to  know,  that  about  two  thirds 
of  them  have  such  praying  friends.  I  contrast  this 
with  the  facts  respecting  their  friends  in  1846,  and 
feel  that  we  ought  to  be  thankful  and  humble  before 
our  God,  for  what  he  has  done  for  them." 

Mr.  Rhea  spent  the  winter  of  1857  and  1858  on 
the  western  side  of  the  Koordish  moun-  a  winter  in 

western 

tains,  and  everywhere  found  an  open  door  Koordistan. 
for  preaching  to  the  rude  dwellers  among  the  rocks. 
In  Shermiu,  Usgan,  and  Argin,  Nestoriau  villages 
southwest  of  Amadiah,  he  was  cordially  welcomed  to 
their  houses  and  churches,  and  had  large  congrega- 
tions that  gave  earnest  attention  to  his  preaching. 
Snow  fell  eleven  out  of  fifteen  days,  and  when  ready 


136   MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

to  return  to  Amadiali,  he  found  the  way  entirely 
blocked  up.  Mr.  Marsh  having  joined  him  from 
Mosul,  they  spent  a  number  of  days  among  large 
papal  villages  in  that  region,  where  they  found  ample 
opportunity  for  preaching  the  Gospel ;  and  several  in- 
dividuals seemed  earnest  inquirers  after  the  way  of 
salvation  from  the  power  of  sin.  With  reference  to 
Mosul  and  Mosul  and  vicinity,  Mr.  Rhea  writes :  "  I 
vicinity.  ,^^^  deeply  impressed  with  the  evidence,  that 
the  labors  of  the  mission  here  have  not  been  in  vain, 
and  that  their  results  are  not  to  be  measured  by  the 
number  of  names  on  the  church  roll.  The  Jacobite 
Church  here  is  now  shaken  to  its  foundations  ;  and 
it  cannot  be  doubted,  that  whatever  of  feeling  after 
something  better  exists  among  many  of  its  members 
is  owing  to  the  steady  light  of  the  Protestant  church 
streaming  in  upon  its  darkness."  He  was  absent  six 
months,  and  for  one  third  of  this  time  was  in  Mosul. 
The  moun-  ^6  regarded  the  proper  field  of  the  moun- 
tain field,  ^g^jjj  branch  of  the  Nestorian  Mission  as 
extending  from  Amadiah  on  the  north  to  Mosul  on 
the  south,  and  from  Akra  on  the  east  to  Bootan  on 
the  west ;  including  the  mountain  districts  between 
Gawar  and  Amadiah.  The  Christian  population  was 
one  in  respect  to  nationality  and  language,  and  was  a 
remnant  of  the  once  great  Syrian  Church.  The  lan- 
guage was  the  same  substantially  as  that  spoken  in 
the  eastern  districts. 

As  the  result  of  these   explorations,   Mr.    Rhea 


THE  NESTORIANS.  137 

made  an  eloquent  appeal  for  more  effective  labor  iu 
Western  Koordistan,  which  was  published 

.  An  appeal. 

in  the  "  Missionary  Herald,  but  cannot  be 
sufficiently  condensed  for  these  pages.^  His  health 
had  suffered  iu  his  mountain  tours,  which  resembled 
those  performed  by  his  eminent  predecessor.  Dr. 
Grant.  This  rendered  it  necessary  for  him  to  spend 
a  year  for  recovery  in  his  native  land,  where  his 
missionary  addresses  were  well  received.  Two  other 
members  of  the  mission,  second  to  none  in  the 
field,  —  the  venerable  Dr.  Perkins,  and  Miss  Fidelia 
Fiske,  —  were  obliged  to  visit  the  United  States  in 
1858;  the  former  to  care  for  the  health  of  Mrs. 
Perkins,  who,  after  burying  six  of  her  children,  had 
accompanied  Mrs.  Crane  to  America,  taking  her 
only  surviving  child  ;  and  the  latter,  in  consequence 
of  a  disease,  which  proved  fatal  after  a  few  years. 
Dr.  Perkins  was  also  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Stoddard, 
and  three  children  of  the  mission. 

Mr.  Rhea's  appeal  had  not  been  without  effect. 
The  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Ambrose  joined  the  ^ew mis- 
mission  near  the  close  of  1858,  the  Rev.  '•°°'^'''- 
John  H.  Shedd  and  wife  in  1859,  and  the  Rev. 
Henry  N.  Cobb  and  wife  in  1860,  with  direct  refer- 
ence to  the  mountain  field  ;  and  the  Rev.  Amherst 
L.  Thompson  and  Rev.  Benjamin  Labaree,  with 
their  wives,  and  Frank  N.  H.  Young,  M.  D.,  iu 
1860,  to   strengthen   the   force  on    the  plains,  to- 

1  See  Missionarij  Herald,  1858,  pp.  317,  318. 


138     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

gether  with  Misses  Aura  Jeannette  Beach  and  Har- 
riet N.  Crawford.  Mr.  Thompson  had  given  much 
Death  of  Mr.  P^f'^misc  of  uscfuhicss,  but  died  at  Seir, 
Thompson,  j^^^^^^  25,  1860,  onlj  fifty-four  days  after 
his  arrival.  Miss  Beach  was  to  be  associated  with 
Miss  Rice,  who  had  rendered  efficient  service  in  the 
g'irls'  Seminary  as  the  associate  of  Miss  Fiske,  but 
was  then  alone  and  overburdened.    ' 

The  unexpected  but  providential  withdrawal  of  so 
many  older  laborers,  at  this  juncture,  was 
we8tern°8tl-^  uot  favorablc  to  a  more  enlarged  occupation 
^°'^'  of  the  field ;    and  the  plan   of  forming  a 

station  on  the  western  side  of  the  mountains,  was 
not  carried  out.  The  height  of  Amadiah  above  the 
plain  of  Mesopotamia,  and  its  salubrity  in  summer 
were  found  to  have  been  overestimated ;  and  fur- 
ther researches  made  it  evident,  that  the  demands 
of  so  trying  a  mountain  field  were  more  than  the 
average  health  of  missionaries  would  be  able  to  en- 
dure at  any  season  of  the  year.  Indeed,  impaired 
health  obliged  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cobb,  who  had  been 
Failure  of      Specially  designated  to  the  mountain  dis- 

Mr.  Cobb's 

health.  trict,  to  return  home  within  two  years ; 
and,  to  their  own  great  regret  and  that  of  their 
associates,  they  have  never  been  able  to  rejoin  the 
mission. 

The  Nestorian  helpers,  as  a  class,  were  pronounced 
Nestorian  ^^^^  ^"^  faithful  mcn,  remarkably  so  for 
helpers.         Qrieutals.     But  they  could  not  fully  take 


THE  NESTORIANS.  139 

the  place  of  inissionaries.     "  They  do  nobly,"  wrote 

Mr.  Coau,  "  if  properly  directed  and  watched  over, 

better  perhaps,  in  some  circumstances,  than  we  can  ; 

but    it    is   not    the   work   of    a   day,   nor   a  year, 

thoroughly  to  eradicate  the  habits  of  life  of  those 

who  are  brought  up  in  gross  superstition." 

Early  in  the  year  1859,  the  seminary  for  young 

men  was  blessed  with  its  tenth  revival,  in  Tenth  revi- 
val in  the 

which  a  third  of  its  pupils  were  hopefully  seminary. 
converted.  There  had  then  been  eleven  such  spirit- 
ual refreshings  in  the  seminary  for  girls.  In  most 
of  these  outpourings  of  the  Spirit,  as  now,  the  vil- 
lages were  more  or  less  favored.  The  effects  of 
these  revivals  were  by  no  means  limited  to  the  souls 
converted.  An  enlightening,  softening,  elevating 
influence  affected  the  masses.  The  young  men 
from  the  seminary  were  generally  of  good  abilities, 
having  been  selected  from  a  large  number  of  candi- 
dates, and  many  of  them  were  distinguished  for 
piety ;  and  quite  as  much  might  be  said  of  the 
other  seminary. 

More  than  fourteen  millions  of  printed  pages  had 
been   distributed   among    the   Nestorians.  ^. 

°  Literary 

The  Old  Testament  with  references  formed  S^J/ 
a  part  of  this  literary  treasure ;    and  the  "*""■ 
New  Testament  was  about  being  issued  in  that  form. 
Among  the  novelties  to  be  recorded  was  the  mar- 
riage of  Mar  Yohanan,  in  violation  of  the  Marriage  of 

°  Mar  Yohan- 

cauons   of    the    Nestoriau   Church.      The  an. 


140     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

bishop  had  been  eoimected  with  the  labors  of  the 
mission  from  the  beginning.  He  pleaded  the  exam- 
ple of  Luther  and  the  Apostles.  The  step  was  one 
of  his  own  choosing,  and  taken  in  the  face  of  many 
threats,  as  well  as  the  imputation  of  unworthy 
motives  ;  but  the  "  evangelicals  ''  almost  universally 
approved  his  course.  The  excitement  was  much  less 
than  had  been  apprehended ;  and  another  of  the 
bishops,  after  some  time,  followed  his  example. 

In  1860  the  observance  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  iu- 
Advance  stcad  of  bciug  confined  to  the  missionary 
churchV  stations ;  was  held,  once  in  four  months,  in 
the  various  villages  where  the  converts  re- 
sided, and  about  a  score  of  virtually  reformed 
churches  were  thus  planted  and  watered  in  as  many 
diflFerent  places.  The  native  pastor  was  held  respon- 
sible for  the  persons  whose  names  were  presented  to 
the  missionary,  as  suitable  to  be  admitted  to  the 
Lord's  table.  Mr.  Coan  speaks  of  those  little 
churches,  as  being  such  in  fact,  "  scattered  in  the 
different  villages,  as  so  many  moral  light-houses  in 
the  surrounding  darkness." 

Mar  Shimon,  the  Nestorian  Patriarch,  died  near 
Dearh  of  the  ^^^  closc  of  1860,  at  thc  agc  of  fifty-nine, 
patriarch.  ^^^^  after  haviug  been  thirty-five  years  in 
office.  His  successor  was  a  nephew,  eighteen  years 
old,  and  a  youth  of  amiable  disposition.  The  patri- 
arch had  stood  variously  affected  towards  the  mis- 
sion, but  was,  for  the  most  part,  unfriendly.     The 


THE  NESTORTANS.  141 

effect  of  the  Gospel  in  diminishing  the  superstitious 
reverence  of  the  people  for  him,  was  one  of  the 
causes  of  his  hostility. 

About  this  time,  a  spirit  of  unlooked-for  liberality 
was  manifested  among  the  Nestoriaus.     It 

^  Extraordi- 

should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  people  bui^t°"/iib- 
are  poor,  that  the  man  worth  five  hundred  "'^''"'^ 
dollars  is  counted  rich,  and  that  probably  no  Nesto- 
rian  is  worth  two  thousand  dollars.  The  indications 
in  our  own  country  were  at  that  time  very  unprom- 
ising ;  and  when  the  prospective  embarrassments  of 
the  Board  were  stated  at  the  monthly  concert  in 
Geog  Tapa,  John,  the  pastor,  urged  the  people  to 
support  their  own  missionary  in  the  mountains,  and 
one  of  the  audience  rose  and  pledged  nearly  a 
month's  support.  Others  contributed  unwonted 
amounts,  and  soon  the  whole  congregation  was  in  a 
blaze  of  enthusiasm.  Those  who  could  command 
money  gave  money,  others  contributed  wheat,  or 
other  produce,  and  even  women  took  off  their  orna- 
ments and  gave  them.  At  the  monthly  concert  the 
next  day  in  the  city,  the  people  were  more  aglow 
than  at  Geog  Tapa,  and  gave  on  a  larger  scale, 
though  frequently  reminded  that  they  were  poor, 
and  urged  not  to  give  more  than  their  cooler  judg- 
ments would  approve.  The  amount  contributed  was 
five  hundred  dollars.  They  seized  upon  the  figure  of 
"  a  bride  "  —  more  forcible  in  Persia  than  in  Amer- 
ica, —  which  Mr.  Coan  had  used  in  his  address  ;  and 


142     MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

one  aud  another  contributed  for  her  "  shoes," 
"  dress,"  and  other  things,  until  the  "  church,"  the 
"  Lamb  s  wife,"  had  a  very  comfortable  outfit. 

This  outburst  of  benevolent  effort  was  too  sudden 
and  excessive  to  last  in  the  same  measure.  The  ad- 
vantage gained  by  the  elevation  thus  reached,  was 
the  practicability  of  keeping  the  converts  up  to  giv- 
ing according  to  their  ability,  which  is  the  Gospel 
standard.  Dr.  Perkins,  writing  two  years  later, 
thought  there  was  a  real  gain  by  this  effort,  though 
it  had  reacted  somewhat.  Most  of  the  pledges  were 
redeemed  after  the  next  harvest  and  vintage. 

Dr.  Dwight  was  eighteen  days  at  Oroomiah  dur- 
Dr.Dwight's  ing  his    Eastern  tour  in  1860  and  1861. 

visit  to 

Oroomiah.  Mr.  Whccler  had  accompanied  him  from 
Harpoot.  Some  important  changes  in  the  practical 
working  of  the  mission,  made  at  the  Annual  Meet- 
ing, threw  a  greater  responsibility  on  the  native 
pastors.  They  were  to  have  the  responsibility,  not 
only  of  administering  baptism,  but  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per ;  aud  the  children  of  none  except  communicants 
were  to  be  baptized.  The  relation  of  pastor  and 
people  was  thus  made  more  prominent  and  distinct. 
Dr.  Dwight  declares  himself  satisfied  by  what  he 
saw  at  Oroomiah,  that  nothing  more  than 

His  opinion  " 

policy  of Thi"  *^"^  ^^^  needed  to  complete  the  organiza- 
"^*'''°"  tion  of  the  reformed  church.  He  had  had 
the  impression,  for  years,  that  sooner  or  later  the 
converts  among  the  Nestoriaus,  like  the  same  class 


THE  NESTORIANS.  143 

of  persons  among-  the  Armenians,  would  be  organ- 
ized into  separate  churches,  wholly  distinct  from 
the  Nestorian  Church.  The  excommunications  and 
persecutions  that  had  led  to  that  result  among  the 
Armenians,  he  seemed  to  think  would  not  occur 
among  the  Nestorians;  and  it  was  evident  to  him 
that  the  old  ceremonies  of  the  Church  were  silently 
vanishing  away,  and  that  reformed  services  were 
taking  their  place,  as  the  result  of  a  fundamental 
change  in  the  minds  of  the  people.  A  distinct 
theological  class  was  to  be  formed  in  the  seminary 
of  promising  young  converts,  and  no  more  ^^^^^^^ 
men  were  to  be  educated  in  that  school  "*^'''^' 
than  could  afterwards  be  profitably  employed.  The 
conclusion  was  also  reached,  in  view  of  past  experi- 
ence, that  the  mountain  regions  should  not  be  occu- 
pied by  American  families;  reserving  them  as  the 
peculiar  field  of  the  reformed  church  of  the  plain  ; 
as  a  training-school  for  their  missionary  spirit,  and 
a  necessary  outlet  for  their  pious  zeal. 

The  native  preachers  and  helpers  held  a  two  days' 
meeting  at    Oroomiah  while   Dr.   Dwight  Appearance 

of  the  native 

was  there,  in  which  several  important  sub-  preachers. 
jects  were  discussed.  He  liked  their  appearance, 
admired  the  spirit  of  many  of  them,  and  was  greatly 
moved  by  the  extraordinary  fire  of  their  eloquence, 
though  he  understood  them  only  through  an  inter- 
preter. He  was  specially  impressed  by  the  childlike 
piety  of  the  venerable  Mar  Elias. 


144      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Mr.  Breath,  the  ingenious  and  efficient  missionary 
Death  of  Mr.  pi*i"ter,  (lied  of  cholera  on  the  10th  of  No- 
Breath.  vcmber,  1861.  He  had  so  far  succeeded  in 
training  native  printers  and  book-binders,  that  there 
was  no  further  call  for  such  workmen  from  the 
United  States.  Mrs.  Breath  returned  home,  with 
her  three  children,  in  the  following  year. 

Some  uneasiness  was  created  about  this  time  by 
rumors,  that  priests  of  the  Russian  Church 

Apprehended  ^ 

fr^om^Rus"-'  ^^^^  comlug  to  Oroomiah  to  proselyte  Nes- 
sian  priests,    ^(jj.j^^ j.     rpj^^^  ^j^|  ^^^  ^^^^^ .  ^^^  cmissaries 

were  sent  by  them  secretly,  who  made  large  prom- 
ises, that  deceived  many  ;  yet  the  evangelical  party, 
with  two  or  three  exceptions,  kept  aloof  from  the 
aflFair.  The  proposal  was  that  the  Nestorians  should 
renounce  their  religion,  and  receive  the  seven  sacra- 
ments of  the  Greek  Church ;  the  inducements  held 
out  being  such  as  the  payment  of  their  taxes  for 
some  years,  and  salaries  to  all  ecclesiastics  and  head 
men  of  the  villages.  The  Persian  government  at 
length  became  somewhat  alarmed  by  these  proceed- 
ings, and  the  English  Consul,  Mr.  Abbott,  having 
demanded  the  official  interference  of  the  authorities 
at  Tabriz,  measures  were  adopted  promising  some 
degree  of  relief  to  the  oppressed  and  therefore  dis- 
contented Nestorians. 

I  have  passed  in  silence,  for  the  most  part,  the 
long  series  of  efforts  by  the  Persian  government  to 
embarrass  the   mission,  since  they  appear  to  have 


THE  NESTORIANS.  145 

beeu  generally  prompted  by  bribes  from  emissaries  of 
the  Papal  Church,  and  proved  strangely  inoperative. 

Another  interesting  revival  of  religion  occurred 
in  the  two  seminaries  in  February,  1862.  morereyi- 
It  seems  to  have  been  marked  rather  by  an  """^^ 
increase  of  grace  in  the  church-members,  than  by 
the  number  of  converts.  The  first  mouths  of  1863 
and  1864  were  also  distinguished  by  special  religious 
interest,  extending  to  many  of  the  villages  on  the 
plain. 

On  Sabbath  morning,  December  6, 1863,  the  good 
old  Mar  Elias  died,  more  than  four  score  peathofMar 
years  of  age.  Until  within  a  week  of  his  ^^^'^^' 
death,  he  was  accustomed  to  walk  to  town  to  attend 
the  monthly  concert,  a  distance  of  five  miles,  and 
for  many  years  he  had  visited  the  villages  of  his 
diocese  on  foot.  He  was  sick  only  three  days,  and 
his  mind  was  clear.  When  asked  by  the  young  men 
about  him  for  his  dying  charge,  it  was,  "  See  that  ye 
hold  fast  to  God's  Word."  An  immense  concourse 
gathered  from  the  surrounding  country  to  do  honor 
to  his  memory ;  and  Dr.  Perkins  preached  from  the 
text :  "  My  father,  my  father  !  The  chariot  of  Israel 
and  the  horsemen  thereof." 

As  a  most   cheering  illustration  of  what  Nesto- 
rians  may  yet  become,  through  the  grace  Higdiarac- 
of  God  in  the  Gospel,  I  quote  largely  from  *^''' 
an   account  of  the  venerable   man,  by  Mr.  Rhea.^ 

i  See  Missionary  Herald,  1864,  pp.  146,  147. 
VOL.  II.  -       10 


146      MISSIONS  TO   TEE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

"  While  our  g-ood  old  bishop  was  not  an  educated 
man,  —  his  knowledge  in  books  extending  little  be- 
yond the  Word  of  God,  —  and  had  but  ordinary 
intellectual  ability,  he  was  still  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting characters  among  the  Nestorians.  There 
is  no  name  among  them  that  will  be  more  fragrant ; 
none  that  deserves  a  more  honored  place  in  the 
annals  of  his  Church.  The  singularity  of  his  posi- 
tion here,  thirty  years  ago,  —  devout,  spiritual,  God- 
fearing, and  active,  when  a  deep  night  hung  over 
his  whole  people,  —  like  a  mountain  beacon,  whose 
summit  had  caught  the  first  beams  of  the  sun, 
which  was  soon  to  flood  all  below  with  its  glory ; 
his  prophetic  anticipation  of  the  coming  of  mission- 
aries ;  his  joy  in  welcoming  them ;  his  peculiar 
attachment  to  them  and  their  families ;  his  true- 
hearted  devotion  to  them  as  God's  ministers,  and 
to  their  work,  through  all  kinds  of  vicissitudes  ;  the 
charming  guilelessness  of  his  character,  ingenuous 
as  a  child  ;  his  wonderful  love  for  the  Word  of  God, 
making  it  his  meditation  by  day  and  by  night,  — 
not  able  to  pass  two  or  three  hours  consecutively, 
without  drinking  from  this  well-spring  of  life ;  the 
child-like  gentleness  of  his  character,  —  though, 
when  stirred  in  God's  behalf,  he  showed  a  lion- 
hearted  courage,  tearing  down  the  pictures  and 
images  which  Papal  hands  had  stealthily  hung  on 
the  walls  of  his  church,  and  pitching  them  indig- 
nantly from  the  door ;  his  love  of  sound  doctrine. 


THE  NESTORIANS.  147 

holding  forth  the  word  of  life  in  his  humble  way, 
always  and  everywhere,  his  face  never  so  full  of 
spiritual  light  as  when  rehearsing  a  conversation  he 
had  just  had  with  some  Mussulman  friend,  to  whom 
he  had  opened  the  Scriptures,  and  talked  of  the 
kingdom  yet  to  fill  the  whole  earth,  —  the  brother- 
hood of  all  races,  —  the  one  flock  and  the  one  shep- 
herd ;  his  silent  patience,  in  a  land  of  cruel  wrong, 
under  heavy  burdens,  borne  uncomplainingly  for 
many  years ;  his  wonderful  spirituality,  all  things 
earthly  being  but  the  types  of  the  heavenly,  —  the 
one,  by  resemblance  or  contrast,  constantly  suggest- 
ing the  other,  so  that  he  could  not  be  reminded  that 
he  was  late  to  tea  without  the  quick  reply,  '  May  I 
not  be  late  at  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb,' 
or  '  Jesus  will  gather  us  all  in,  in  season ;  '  all 
these  traits  of  Christ-like  beauty  combined  to  make 
a  character  which,  in  this  weary  land,  was  a  con- 
stant rest  to  the  toil-worn  missionary,  —  an  influ- 
ence for  good,  continually  streaming  forth  into  the 
darkness  of  spiritual  death  around  him.  God,  who 
accurately  weighs  all  men,  only  knows  how  much  his 
kingdom  in  Persia  has  been  advanced  by  Mar  Elias, 
than  whom  the  Nestorian  Church  never  had  a  more 
spiritual  and  evangelical  bishop." 

Almost    five    thousand   Armenians    inhabit    the 
plain  of  Oroomiah,  and   the   attention  of  Armenians 

on  the  plain 

the  mission  was  gradually  turned  towards  ofOroomiah. 
their  spiritual  enlightenment,  with  a  prospect  of 
ultimate  success. 


148     MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

At  a  general  meeting  of  native  helpers,  in  March, 
Manual  for     1863,  a  Church  Manual,  or  Directory  was 

the  reformed  .11  ^  pi'i?'» 

church.         adopted ;  "  in   the   observance  of   which, 
Mr.  Cochran  writes,  "  we  have  all  that  is  essential 
to  a  reformed  church,  with  reformed  pastors ;  and  in 
the  possession  of  the  substance,  we  can  afford  to  dis- 
pense with  the  shadow  of  new  organizations 

The  prospect,  we  believe,  was  never  brighter  than  at 
present  for  the  ultimate  evaugelization  of  the  old 
Church." 

During  the  thirty  years  from  the  arrival  of  Dr. 
Retrospect  of  Perkius,  fivc  of  the  twenty  men  and  seven 
the  mission.  ^^  ^^^  twcuty-four  womcu,  who  had  joined 
the  mission,  had  died ;  and  five  men  and  nine  women 
had  for  various  causes  been  obliged  to  retire  from 
the  field,  leaving  in  the  mission  seven  male  and  nine 
female  laborers.  In  this  time,  the  vast  unknown  of 
men  and  things  where  dwelt  the  primeval  race,  had 
become  well  known.  A  great  work  of  exploration 
had  been  performed.  So  far  as  knowledge  of  the 
field  was  concerned,  many  a  valley  had  been  exalted, 
many  a  hill  brought  low.  This  was  indeed  prelimi- 
nary work,  but  it  was  indispensable,  and  was  no 
small  share  of  what  is  involved  in  the  conquest  of 
the  country  for  Christ.  The  seven  missionaries 
then  in  the  field  had  more  than  fifty  Nestorian  fel- 
low-laborers in  the  gospel  ministry,  graduates  of 
their  seminary,  and  the  nine  female  missionaries  re- 
joiced in  scores  of  pious  young  women   from  their 


THE  NESrORIANS.  149 

seminary,  abroad  as  wives,  mothers,  aud  teachers, 
doing-  a  work  perhaps  not  second  in  importance  to 
that  of  the  pious  graduates  of  the  other  school. 
Nor  should  we  overlook  the  reduction  of  the  spoken 
language  to  writing,  the  translation  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  into  it,  and  the  multiplication  of  books 
to  the  extent  of  seventy-nine  thousand  three  hun- 
dred volumes,  and  more  than  sixteen  millions  of 
pages.  Of  the  half  a  score  and  more  of  revivals 
in  the  seminaries.  Dr.  Perkins  affirms  that  they 
would  compare  with  the  purest  revivals  he  had  ever 
witnessed  in  America. 

The  return  of  Miss  Beach  to  the  United  States 
threw  the  whole  care  of  the  female  sem-  j^.^,  j^.^^  .^ 
inary  on  Miss  Rice.     She  was  afterwards  Tt^^S"'' 
materially  aided  by  Mrs.  Rhea,  and  from  ^^""''*'^" 
time  to  time  by  other  members  of  the  mission. 

The  interest  taken  by  the  English  government  in 
the  oppressed  Nestoriaus,  should  be  grate-  careofthe 
fully  acknowledged .     Mr.  Taylor,  English   er°nmentfol 

''  °  J         i  a  theNesto- 

Consul  at  Diarbekir,  was  sent  early  in  1864  ria,ns. 
through  the  Nestorian  districts  of  Koordistan,  to 
ascertain  their  grievances,  and  report  to  the  Am- 
bassador at  Constantinople ;  and  Mr.  Glen,  a  pious 
attache  to  the  British  Embassy  in  Persia,  spent 
several  months  on  the  plain  of  Oroomiah  for  a  sim- 
ilar purpose. 


The  first 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THIRTY   TEARS   AMONG   THE   JEWS. 

1826-1856. 

The  first  missiouary  seut  by  the  Board  to  the 
Jews  in  the  Levant,  was  the  Rev.  Josiah 
missionary,  g^cwer,  who,  while  connected  with  the 
Board,  was  supported  by  the  "  Female  Society  of 
Boston  and  Vicinity  for  promoting"  Christianity 
among  the  Jews."  Sailing  from  Boston,  September 
16,  1826,  he  proceeded  to  Constantinople  by  way  of 
Malta  and  Smyrna,  expecting  there  to  find  every 
facility  for  learning  the  Hebrew-Spanish  language, 
spoken  by  the  Spanish  Jews.  But  disturbances, 
growing  partly  out  of  the  Greek  revolution,  so  hin- 
dered his  gaining  access  to  the  Jews,  that  he  deemed 
it  his  duty  to  turn  to  some  more  open  field  of  mis- 
sionary labor. 

After  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Brewer,  the  ladies 
Tiie  second  ^ssumcd  thc  support  of  the  Rev.  William 
missionary.  ^  Scliauflfler,  who  bccamc  his  successor. 
He  was  a  native  of  Stuttgart  iu  Germany,  but  early 
removed,  with  his  parents,  to  a  German  colony  near 
Odessa.     He   came   to   this   country   through    the 


THIRTY  YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.         151 

ag-ency  of  X\\q  Rev.  Jonas  King-,  and  spent  several 
years  at  the  Theological  Seminary  in  Andover,  to 
prepare  himself  for  a  mission  to  the  East.  He  was 
ordained  at  Boston  in  November,  1831,  and  em- 
barked soon  after,  going  by  way  of  Paris,  where  he 
attended  the  lectures  on  the  oriental  languages  and 
literature,  for  which  that  city  was  then  distin- 
guished. He  had  been  familiar  with  the  French 
language  from  his  youth,  and,  having  an  aptitude 
for  such  studies,  applied  himself  successfully  to  the 
Arabic  and  Turkish.  His  health  beginning  to  fail 
after  some  months,  and  the  cholera  making  ravages 
in  the  city,  he  resumed  his  journey  through  . 
Germany  to  Odessa,  and  thence  by  water  to  ^l^  at  con-' 
Constantinople,  where  he  arrived  on  the  «'*'**'^°p'<'- 
last  day  of  July,  1832. i 

The  greater  part  of  the  Jews  in  Constantinople 
are  descendants  of  the  eight  hundred  thou-  ^^^  constan- 
sand  who  were  expelled  from  Spain  in  1492,  "-^"p^^  J«^«- 
and  their  language  is  the  Hebrew-Spanish ;  or  the 
Spanish  with  a  mixture  of  Hebrew  words,  all  written 
in  the  Spanish  Rabbinical  alphabet.  As  soon  as  Mr. 
Schauffler  had  acquired  this  language,  he  began  the 
careful  revision  of  a  Hebrew-Spanish  translation  of 
the  Old  Testament,  already  in  print,  but  not  intel- 
ligible to  the  common  people.  He  found  the  Jewish 
mind  in  an  unquiet  state.     Eight  years  before,  as 

1  For  Mr.  Schaviffler's  account  of  his  residence  at  Paris  and  this 
journey,  see  Missionary  Herald  for  1833  and  1834. 


152     MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

many  as  a  liuiKlred  and  fifty  liad  renounced  Judaism 
at  one  time,  but  nearly  all  were  soon  driven  back  by 
persecution.  Several  of  these  now  requested  bap- 
tism, and  were  ready  to  suffer  for  the  sake  of  becom- 
ing Christians ;  but  they  seemed  incapable  of  under- 
standing that  anything  more  could  be  required  of 
them  than  an  exchange  of  external  relations,  and 
gave  little  evidence  of  piety. 

Near  the  close  of  1834,  Mr.  Schauffler  baptized 
Baptism  of  a  ^  Gcrmau  Jew,  whom  he  named  Herman 
German  Jew.  ]y[arcussohn,  haviug  formed  his  acquaint- 
ance in  South  Russia,  sixteen  years  before.  As  he 
could  not  there  profess  Christianity  except  by  joining 
the  Greek  Church,  he  had  come  to  Constantinople, 
bringing  letters  to  Mr.  Schauffler,  and  was  engaged 
by  him  as  a  literary  assistant. 

Religious  excitements  were  not  wanting.  Three 
Religious  ex-  J®^"^  Jcws  bccame  anxious  for  Christian 
citements.  jjaptisui,  aud  both  the  Greek  and  Armenian 
Patriarchs  refusing  it,  they  fell  into  the  cold  em- 
brace of  the  Papal  Church.  Three  others  expressed 
the  same  desire ;  and  ten  young  men  took  advan- 
tage of  the  death  of  the  civil  head  of  their  com- 
munity to  flee,  as  was  supposed,  for  the  sake  of 
greater  freedom  in  religion.  Mr.  Schauffler's  vary- 
ing and  perplexing  experience  constrained  him  to 
believe,  that  private  charity,  and  sacrifices  for  indi- 
vidual Jews,  should  be  employed  very  sparingly. 

The  year  1835  was  chiefly  employed  in  revising 


THIRTY   YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.         153 

the  Hebrew-Spanish  version  of  the  Old  Testament, 
and  in  preparing-  a  Lexicon  in  the  two  languages. 
He  also  commenced  a  series  of  tracts  in  Hebrew- 
German.  To  some  extent  there  was  among  the  Jews 
a  hearing-  ear,  and  to  a  greater  extent  the  absence 
of  an  understanding  heart.  The  German  and  Polish 
Jews  were  less  bigoted  and  more  intelligent  than 
the  Spanish  Jews,  but  were  more  greedy  of  gain,  and 
more  indifferent  to  religion.  On  the  great  day  of 
atonement  they  allowed  Marcussohn  to  address  them 
in  their  synagogue  on  the  Christian  religion ;  the 
rulers  of  the  synagogue  having  first  given  him  a 
seat  on  the  platform  among  themselves,  where  they 
read  their  Scriptures  and  prayers,  and  where  ser- 
mons were  delivered. 

A  visit  of  some  months  made  by  Mr.  Schauffler 
among  his  friends  at  Odessa,  in  1836,  re-  ^f■^,^^^^^ 
suited,  through  divine  grace,  in  a  revival,  ^'^''^^^■ 
as  has  been  already  stated,  among  the  German  pop- 
ulation, and  was  not  without  good  effects  upon  the 
demoralized  Jews  of  that  city.  During  his  absence, 
his  revision  of  the  Psalms  in  Hebrew  and  Psaims  in 

Hebrew- 

Hebrew-Spanish  was  printed  at  Constan-  Spanish. 
tinople,  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Farman, 
a  missionary  of  the  London  Jews  Society.  A  relative 
of  the  chief  rabbi  called  on  Mr.  Schauffler  after  his 
return,  and  took  a  hundred  copies  for  distribution, 
and  he  thought  his  chief  might  be  induced  to  give 
his  imprimatur  to  the  contemplated  edition  of  the 


154      MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Old  Testament ;  but  from  some  unknown  cause,  the 
chief  rabbi  became  a  fierce  opposer  of  the  Psalms, 
and  prohibited  the  use  of  the  edition. 

In  May,  1839,  Mr.  Schauffler  left  for  Vienna,  to 
Goestovien-  supcriuteud  the  printing  of  the  Old  Testa- 
toe*ofd"Tes-  mcut  for  the  Spanish  Jews.  As  he  was 
leaving,  the  caique,  in  which  himself  and 
family,  including  an  infant  child,  were  going  off  to 
the  steamer,  upset,  and  the  whole  party  narrowly 
escaped  drowning.  His  visits  to  Odessa,  in  going 
and  coming,  were  the  occasion,  as  before,  of  spiritual 
blessings  to  the  people.  His  family  expenses  were 
paid  by  the  Board,  but  the  printing  was  at  the 
charge  of  the  American  Bible  Society.  He  was  ab- 
sent nearly  three  years,  returning  in  August,  1842 ; 
and  in  that  time  carried  through  the  press  three 
thousand  copies  of  the  Old  Testament  in  Hebrew- 
Spanish,  in  two  volumes  quarto,  containing  fifteen 
hundred  pages.  The  Hebrew  occupied  every  alter- 
nate page.  He  also  printed  five  hundred  copies  of 
the  Hebrew-Spanish  Pentateuch,  in  two  volumes, 
16mo.,  with  the  Hebrew  on  the  opposite  page.  The 
The  Hebrew-  Scfardim,  or  Spanish  Jews,  having  the  New 
Bible.  Testament  previously,    were   now  favored 

with  the  whole  inspired  volume  in  their  vernacular 
tongue. 

Notwithstanding  the  anathemas  of  Jewish  rulers, 
Unsuccessful  ^^^^  tlircc  thousaud  copies  of  the  Psalms, 
opposition,     pri^^ted  in  1836,  were  nearly  exhausted  in 


THIRTY   YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.         155 

1844,  and  the  book  was  in  great  esteem  among  the 
people.  A  vain  effort  was  made  by  the  rabbis  to 
suppress  the  Vienna  edition  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Only  a  few  of  the  hundreds  of  copies  in  the  hands 
of  the  people  were  delivered  up,  and  it  was  believed 
that  those  confiscated  by  the  rabbis  found  their  way 
again  into  circulation. 

About  this  time,  the  "  Committee  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  on  the  Generous  aid 
Scheme  for  the  Conversion  of  the  Jews,"  la^d. 
made  a  grant  of  ^2,162  (about  $10,000)  to  this  mis- 
sion for  the  circulation  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures, 
the  purchase  of  rabbinic  type,  and  the  publication 
of  school-books  and  tracts  for  the  Jews.  This,  while 
it  generously  enlarged  the  operations  of  the  mission, 
afforded  no  relief  to  the  treasury  of  the  Board. 

Such  were  the  calls  for  the  Hebrew-Spanish  Old 

Testament,  that  more  than  twelve  hundred  Demand  for 

T         ''^^  Scrip- 
copies  went  into  the  hands  of  the  Jews  t"res. 

previous  to  June,  1843.  One  rabbi  requested  twenty 
copies  for  poor  Jews  in  Roumelia  ;  another,  and  he 
the  chief  rabbi,  asked  for  ninety  copies  for  six  desti- 
tute places ;  and  another,  the  rabbi  of  Orta  Keuy, 
made  repeated  solicitations  for  thirty  copies  for 
schools  in  that  suburb,  and  for  twenty  additional 
copies  to  place  in  reading  rooms,  where  Jews  come 
together  in  a  social  manner,  on  their  Sabbath,  to 
read  the  Bible. 

Calls  for  religious  conversation  were  frequent,  but 


156    MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

there  was  painful  evidence,  that  in  most  eases  the 
The  grand  object  was  more  selfish  than  spiritual. 
difficulty.  There  appeared  to  be  a  general  dissatis- 
faction with  Judaism,  but  no  proper  knowledge  of 
Christianity.  Poverty  and  distress  were  the  princi- 
pal occasions  of  these  calls.  A  few  appeared  to  be 
interested  in  more  fundamental  truths ;  and  they 
attentively  read  McCaul's  "  Old  Paths,"  a  contro- 
versial work  that  exposes  the  absurdity  of  rabbinism. 
The  chief  difficulty  with  all  was  in  respect  to  the 
divine  nature  of  the  Messiah. 

The  Spanish  Jews,  numbering  seventy  or  eighty 
thousand  souls  in  Constantinople,  afforded  a  field  for 
the  faithful  sower,  rather  than  the  cheerful  reaper. 
The  tyrannical  rule  of  their  rabbis  rendered  them 
less  accessible,  perhaps,  than  any  other  people  in 
Turkey,  the  Moslems  alone  excepted ;  and  intellect- 
ually they  were  among  the  most  degraded  races  in 
the  East.  Yet  they  stood  higher  in  their  morals 
than  did  the  Turks.  They  had  but  few  books ;  and 
until  the  issue  of  the  edition  under  Mr.  Schauffler's 
superintendence,  they  had  no  copy  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment in  their  vernacular  tongue,  that  was  acces- 
sible to  the  people  at  large.  Two  editions  of  the 
Old  Testament,  in  Hebrew-Spanish  and  Hebrew  and 
Chaldee,  with  Rabbi  Solomon  Jarchi's  commentary 
in  opposition  to  Christian  doctrines,  had  been  pub- 
presentduty  Hshcd   iu    1816,  at  Vicuna,  in   six  quarto 

of  Christian  . 

churches.       volumes.    Now  the  Christian  church,  while 


THIRTY   YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.         157 

waiting-  for  a  wider  entrance  among  the  people,  was 
called  oil  to  provide  the  books  that  would  be  indis- 
pensable when  that  entrance  should  be  secured. 
Among-  those  most  needed  now,  were  a  Hebrew  and 
Hebrew-Spanish  vocabulary  of  the  Old  Testament 
(then  in  preparation)  ;  a  Spelling  Book  for  schools  ; 
a  short  Hebrew  Grammar ;  a  brief  Arithmetic ;  a 
Geography  of  the  Bible,  and  a  Natural  History  of 
the  same ;  various  religious  tracts  and  essays  on 
prophecies,  especially  those  concerning  the  Messiah ; 
and  a  translation  of  McCaul's  "  Old  Paths  "  into 
Hebrew-Spanish. 

The  Ashkenazim,  or  German  Jews,  were  only  about 
two  thousand,  and  were  chiefly  young  men  ^^^  German 
driven  from  Moldavia  by  the  Boyars,  and  ''^'^^ 
from  Russia  by  the  law  of  conscription  that  threat- 
ened them  with  the  hardships  and  perils  of  a  soldier's 
life.  This  department  was  under  the  charge  of  Mr. 
Allan,  a  missionary  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland, 
in  connection  with  Mr.  Schwartz,  a  converted  Jew. 

The  Protestant  Armenians  showed  a  deep  interest 
in  efforts  for  the  conversion  of  the  Jews,  interest  of 

.1  11.  T  Protestant 

and  were  forward  to  render  their  aid.  Nor  Armenians. 
could  Jews  or  Mohammedans  be  wholly  uninfluenced 
by  the  change  then  going  on  in  the  Armenian 
churches  of  the  metropolis  in  respect  to  the  use  of 
pictures  ;  the  greater  part  of  which  had  been  re- 
moved, and  the  patriarchal  church,  in  place  of  them 
had  set  the  example  of  having-  passages  of  Scripture 
painted  in  large  letteis  on  the  walls. 


158     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

Besides  the  Spanish  aud  Germau  Jews  in  Con- 
The  Italian  stautiuoplc,  there  was  a  small  body  of  Ital- 
"'*''*■  iau  Jews  who  were  generally  destitute  of 

all  religion.  Then  as  there  were  many  Germans  in 
Service  for  the  *^^  ^^^7?  ^^*-  Schaufflcr  held  a  stated  ser- 
vice for  them,  in  which  his  labors  were 
blessed  to  the  hopeful  conversion  of  some.  The  at- 
tendance was  often  composed  largely  of  Israelites. 
In  the  closing  month  of  the  year  1844,  he  baptized 
a  Jewish  physician. 

The  Jews  are  probably  more  strongly  prejudiced 
Why  so  against  the  Gospel,  than  any  other  people. 
TtOTywork"'  Their  whole  literature  is  anti-Christian. 
So  are  their  education  and  internal  relig- 
ious policy.  The  great  effort  of  Jewish  learning 
for  fifty  generations,  has  been  to  prevent  the  Old 
Testament  from  suggesting  Christian  ideas  to  the 
Jewish  mind.  Hence  a  Jewish  mission  requires  an 
extraordinary  amount  of  preparatory  work,  in  the 
first  instance ;  though  its  main  objects  and  duties 
afterwards  will  differ  little,  if  at  all,  from  those  of 
other  missions. 

Mr.  Schauffler  was  specially  adapted  to  the  pre- 
liminary work  in  Jewish  missions,  growing  out  of  the 
peculiar  state  of  the  national  mind.  What  this  was, 
up  to  the  year  1845,  has  been  sufficiently  indicated. 
Neweditiona  lu  that  year,  a  second  edition  of  the  Pen- 

of  the  Scrip- 
tures.      •    tateuch,  in  Hebrew  and  Hebrew-Spanish, 

was  printed  at  Vienna ;  and  a  new  edition,  of  five 


THIRTY   YEARS  AMONG  THE  JEWS.         159 

thousand  copies  of  the  Old  Testament  iu  the  same 
languages,  was  commenced  at  Smyrna.  The  Amer- 
ican Bible  Society,  which  bore  the  expense  of  these 
editions,  also  authorized  the  printing  of  a  Hebrew 
and  Hebrew-German  version  of  the  Old  Testament, 
for  the  German  Jews. 

The  testimony  of  Mr.  Schaufl&er  is  so  explicit  on 
a  point  of  great  importance  in  a  mission  of  important 
the  Jews,  as  to  justify  the  following  quota-  *«^'*^°''y- 
tion :  — 

"  My  own  observation  from  the  first,  has  estab- 
lished this  fact,  that  whenever  a  Jew  is  truly  con- 
verted, the  hope  of  seeing  all  Israelites  settled  in 
Canaan  sinks  to  the  level  of  many  other  secondary 
ideas ;  and  Christ  and  him  crucified,  —  Christ  risen, 
ascended,  and  reigning  in  glory,  Christ  and  his  king- 
dom, wherever  its  centre  may  be,  —  becomes  the 
all-absorbing  theme.  In  other  words,  such  Jews  I 
have  always  observed  to  be  just  what  true  converts 
among  ourselves  are;  differing  from  us  only  in  this, 
that  they  cherish  that  desire  for  the  conversion  of 
Israel,  which  we  ought  also  to  cherish,  and  of  which 
Paul  has  left  so  splendid  an  example.  Half-con- 
verted men,  iu  whom  the  carnal  pride  of  the  old 
Pharisee  has  never  been  broken  down  by  a  divinely 
wrought  sense  of  the  guilt  of  unbelief  in  Christ, 
who,  when  they  were  baptized,  thought  they  did 
Christ  and  his  people  an  honor ;  these,  of  course, 
never   fail   to    consider   themselves    as    something 


160  3IISSI0NS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

special  iu  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  they  expect  to 
be  treated  by  Him  accordingly.  These  make  an  ex- 
ception. There  are,  also,  truly  converted  men  among 
the  proselytes,  who  cherish  that  notion.  They  are 
those  who  have  been  under  the  influence  of  mission- 
aries, who  make  them  a  '  royal  race,'  amid  the 
divinely  designated  '  royal  priesthood  '  (than  which 
nothing  can  be  higher)  of  Christ's  true  people.  We 
are  all  apt  to  believe  what  magnifies  ourselves.  But 
I  have  observed  no  inherent  tendency  that  way 
among  truly  converted  Jews,  and  never  found  it 
necessary  to  make  eflForts  to  eradicate  such  carnal 
hopes." 

The  particular  relations  of  the  Board  to  the  Span- 
ish Jews  in  Constantinople  underwent  an 

Change  of  '■ 

coDstantino-  uuexpcctcd  chaugc  iu  the  year  1846.  Ow- 
piejews.  .^g,  ^^  ^^^  protracted  and  unavoidable  delay 
in  providing  associates  for  Mr.  Schauffler,  the  breth- 
ren from  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  had  so  far 
taken  possession  of  the  ground,  as  to  render  another 
mission  in  that  city  inexpedient.  Whatever  cause 
there  may  have  been  for  regretting  this  after  the 
Board  had  obtained  the  men,  no  blame  was  attached 
to  our  more  zealous  brethren  of  the  Scotch  Church. 
Mr.  Schauffler  would  continue  to  reside  in  Constan- 
tinople, and  would  render  valuable  aid  to  all  the 
missions  to  the  Jews  in  those  parts. 

Attention  was  now  directed  to  Salonica  (the  an- 


THIRTY  YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.  161 

cieiit    Thessalonica),    which    had    been    visited    by 
Messrs.  Schauffler  and  Dwight  some  years     Attention 

turned  to 

before.  The  city  was  visited  ag-aiu  by  Mr.  saionica. 
Schauffler  iu  July,  1847,  aud  he  urgently  recom- 
mended occupying  it  as  a  Jewish  station.  The 
number  of  rabbinical  Jews  residing  there  The  Jewish 
was  estimated  at  thirty-five  thousand,  or  p°p"1'^^'°"- 
about  half  of  the  whole  population.  The  number  of 
their  synagogues  was  fifty-six.  The  Jews  were  dif- 
fused throughout  the  city,  and  not  confined,  as  in 
Constantinople,  to  certain  quarters.  There  was, 
therefore,  a  good  degree  of  intermingling  in  civil 
life  with  other  people.  The  natural  consequence 
was,  that  a  Saionica  Jew  did  not  evince  the  shyness 
so  common  elsewhere,  in  approaching  Christians, 
or  in  entering  their  houses.  They  were  thankful 
for  the  gift  of  the  Old  Testament  in  a  language  they 
could  understand.  Moreover,  the  centre  of  rabbin- 
ical learning  was  at  Saionica,  and  not  at  Constanti- 
nople ;  which  made  the  assent  given  by  the  Saionica 
rabbis  to  the  correctness  of  the  Hebrew-Spanish 
version,  the  more  influential. 

The  Rev.  Messrs.  Eliphal  Maynard  and  Edward 
M.  Dodd,  appointed  to  this  mission,  reached  Missionaries 
Saionica,  with  their  wives,  in  April,  1849,  *os^°'^<=''- 
going  by  way  of  Constantinople.  Mr.  Schauffler 
was  to  remain  at  the  metropolis,  but  accompanied 
them  to  Saionica  and  was  with  them  seven  weeks, 
helping  them  much  towards  a  successful  entrance 


162      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

on  their  work.  Both  of  the  brethren  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  Hebrew-Spanish.  Mr.  Dodd  gave, 
Thezohar-  ^^^®'  some  attention  to  the  Turkish,  with  a 
view  to  the  Zoharites,  or  Moslem  Jews, 
numbering  about  five  thousand ;  all  of  whom  seemed 
to  rejoice  that  missionaries  had  come  there  to  reside. 
He  describes  them  as  among  the  noblest  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  city,  and  as  very  ready  to  talk  on 
religious  subjects,  with  less  self-conceit  than  the 
rabbinical  Jews. 

The  Prudential  Committee,  on  sending  forth  these 
brethren,  stated  the  more  important  facts,  principles, 
and  usages,  which  should  be  kept  constantly  in 
„  ,  ,.      ,    mind  in  their  mission  to  the  Jews.^     The 

Relations  of 

Christy's  relations  of  that  people  to  Christ's  king- 
kingdom.  ^^^^  were  believed  to  be  the  same  with 
those  of  all  other  people ;  and  they  were  no  more 
shut  out  from  that  kingdom  by  a  "judicial  blind- 
ness," or  more  really  "  cast  away,"  than  any  other 
perverse  and  wicked  nation.  The  obstacles  to  be 
overcome  among  them  were  substantially  the  same 
with  those  iu  the  Oriental  Churches.  The  relations 
sustained  to  the  spiritual  blessings  of  the  Abrahamic 
covenant  being  no  longer  of  blood,  but  of  faith,  these 
blessings  must  be  common  alike  to  believing  Jews 
and  Gentiles.  Never  again,  in  the  spiritual  kingdom 
of  God,  will  there  be  circumcision  or  uncircumcision, 
Greek  or  Jew.     Never  again  will  there  be  a  need  of 

1  More  fully  stated  in  the  Missionary  Herald  for  1849,  p.  101. 


THIRTY  YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.         163 

bloody  rites,  a  mediating  priesthood,  and  a  showy 
ritual.  Never  again  will  there  be  a  theocracy  with 
a  sensuous  external  economy,  limited  to  a  single 
nation.  Never  again,  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  will 
he  be  accounted  a  Jew,  in  the  evangelical  sense,  who 
is  one  outwardly,  nor  that  be  accounted  circumcision 
which  is  outward  in  the  flesh;  but  he  will  be  a  Jew, 
who  is  one  inwardly,  and  is,  of  course,  heir  to  all  the 
spiritual  promises  made  to  the  Jews  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament ;  and  circumcision  is  of  the  heart,  in  the 
spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter.  On  these  broad,  fun- 
damental Scripture  principles,  rested  the  whole  su- 
perstructure of  our  mission  to  the  Jews. 

The  prevalent  idea,  that  judicial  blindness  came 
upon  Israel  in  consequence  of  their  crucifixion  of 
the  Son  of  God,  precluding  their  conversion  as  a 
people  until  the  arrival  of  some  great  prophetic  era, 
seems  without  any  proper  Scripture  warrant.  They 
were  blinded  only  "in  part;  "  only  "  some  "  of  the 
branches  were  broken  off;  they  are  not  "  cast  away  " 
as  a  people  ;  and  when  the  rest  of  mankind  shall 
embrace  the  Gospel,  and  come  into  the  kingdom,  the 
Jews  will  do  the  same. 

The  practical  inference  drawn  from  all  this  was, 
that  the  same  general  course  should  be  The  practical 
pursued  in  Jewish  missions,  which  is  proper  "^^"^^°<=^- 
in  missions  to  any  other  unevangelized  people. 
They  must  be  instructed  as  to  the  oneness  of  Christ's 
body,  the  church,  and  the  equal  membership  of  all 


164       MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES, 

true  disciples.  If  a  church  be  formed  of  Jewish 
converts  alone,  it  should  be  in  full  communion  with 
all  other  Christian  churches. 

Manual  labor  schools  and  hospitals  for  the  Jews, 
employing  converts  merely  for  the  sake  of  giving 
them  employment ;  boarding-schools  to  serve  as 
houses  of  refuge  for  the  children  of  converts  ;  ex- 
penses incurred  for  shielding  converts  from  persecu- 
tion or  for  teaching  them  trades  ;  were  not  regarded 
as  within  the  range  of  missionary  work ;  but  the 
converts  were,  in  general,  to  be  left,  as  the  Apostles 
left  them,  to  meet  the  consequences  of  their  conver- 
sion upon  their  persons,  their  families,  and  their 
business,  as  God  in  his  providence  and  by  his  grace 
should  enable  them. 

Mr.  Maynard  was  removed  by  death  from  his 
Death  of  Mr  l^bors  withiu  fivc  mouths  after  his  arrival. 
Maynard.  jj^  compauy  wlth  a  New  England  clerical 
friend,  he  made  a  tour  into  the  delightful  region  of 
Thessaly  for  relaxation  and  health.  Unconsciously 
they  exposed  themselves  to  malaria,  and  both  took 
the  same  fever ;  of  which  Mr.  Maynard  died  at  Sa- 
lonica,  and  his  friend  at  Athens.  Mrs.  Maynard  soon 
A  now  mi»      afterwards  returned  home.    The  place  thus 

A  new  mis-  '- 

Bionary.  early  vacated  was  filled,  in  the  following 
summer,  by  the  Rev.  Justin  W.  Parsons,  who  was 
accompanied  by  his  wife. 

The  Salonica  Jews  had  scarcely  more  than  the 
The  people     shadow  of  cducatiou.     A  school  taught  in 

without  edu-  .        .        ,  x    •         i       i_        i. 

cation.  the  principal  synagogue  contained  about  a 


THIRTY   YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.         165 

thousand  pupils,  but  with  the  least  possible  intel- 
lectual value  in  the  instruction.  Half  as  many  more 
were  in  private  schools,  where  Hebrew  and  Hebrew- 
Spanish  were  taught,  but  nothing  like  Grammar, 
Geography,  or  History.  In  a  small  select  school, 
supported  by  rich  Jews,  Italian  (the  commercial  lan- 
guage) and  French  were  taught.  Familiarity  with 
the  Talmud  was  regarded  as  the  perfection  of  knowl- 
edge, so  that  a  man  needed  to  know  nothing  else. 
"  Oh,"  said  a  beardless  youth  to  a  missionary,  "  if 
you  had  only  read  our  Talmud,  you  would  throw  all 
your  books  into  the  fire."  Salonica  was  famous  for 
its  books,  but  they  were  servile  imitations  of  the 
Talmud.  The  spoken  language  was  essentially  Span- 
ish, but  with  a  deficient  vocabulary,  and  greatly  cor- 
rupted with  Turkish  and  Hebrew  words,  while  sub- 
ject to  constant  change.  Consequently  the  many 
books  and  tracts  in  Hebrew-Spanish,  which  were 
published  by  the  English  missionaries  in  Smyrna, 
were  comparatively  useless  at  Salonica,  because  of 
the  difficulty  of  understanding  them.  These  Jews 
therefore  needed  missionary  schools. 

The  excessive  self-righteousness  of  this  people,  as 
described  by  Mr.  Dodd,  disclosed  a  serious  ^^^^  ^^^_ 
obstacle  to  missionary  success  among  them.  rightS^uT''' 
"  Two  thousand  years  of  punishment,"  he 
says,  "  have  not  destroyed  the  feeling,  that  they  are 
the  beloved  of  heaven.  They  pray,  morning,  noon, 
and  night,  and  that  too  in  the  holy  language.    They 


166       MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

always  ask  a  blessing*  ou  their  food.  They  neither 
eat  nor  touch  any  unclean  thing.  Except  they  wash 
their  hands  oft,  they  eat  not.  When  they  fast,  it  is 
by  entire  abstinence  from  food.  They  read  the  Word 
of  God  almost  continually.  In  passing  through  the 
bazaars,  you  may  see  the  shop-keepers  taking  up  the 
Bible  to  read  in  their  leisure  hours ;  and  if  a  visitor 
has  to  wait  for  you  a  few  minutes,  with  a  Bible  within 
reach,  you  will  certainly  find  him  reading  it,  though 
it  be  in  an  unknown  tongue  ;  and  once  a  year  they 
sit  up  all  night  to  read  through  the  law.  Their 
recognition  of  Providence  is  excessive.  Every  event 
is  referred  to  God.  He  is  thanked  for  every  good  ; 
submission  to  his  will  is  expressed  in  every  trial. 
Every  hope  is  uttered  conditionally,  in  dependence 
on  him  ;  and  his  aid  is  invoked  in  trouble  as  fre- 
quently, and  with  as  little  meaning,  as  many  Chris- 
tians speak  of  fortune,  or  luck.  As  to  the  outward 
semblance  of  piety  and  devotion,  I  do  not  think  an- 
other such  people  can  be  found.  Like  their  fathers, 
they  seek  God  daily,  and  delight  to  know  his  ways. 
As  a  nation,  they  take  delight  in  approaching  God. 
'  Is  not  the  Lord  among  us?'  *  No  evil  shall  come 
upon  us.'  Talk  to  them  of  God's  glory,  and  they  will 
answer  by  quoting  some  beautiful  Psalm  of  David. 
Talk  of  man's  sinfulness,  and  they  will  repeat  Psalm 
51st,  with  seeming  penitential  devotion.  Speak  of 
God's  wrath  against  sin  ;  they  will  assent  readily, 
but  add,  that  he  is  pitiful,  remembering  that  we  are 


THIRTY  YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.         167 

dust.  Thus  the  missionary  is  baffled.  Let  him 
search  the  Word  of  God  to  find  expressions  that 
shall  penetrate  to  their  consciences ;  the  Jew  is  fa- 
miliar with  them  all,  and  repeats  them  every  day  in 
his  prayers.  They  either  mean  nothing,  or  through 
a  talmudic  gloss,  aided  hy  self-righteous  blindness, 
they  foster  his  confidence  in  the  mercy  of  the  God 
who  is  his  peculiar  friend,  and  loves  him  more  than 
he  loves  the  Gentile  world,  or  even  his  own  justice 
and  truth." 

Mr.  Parsons  also  says,  after  a  visit  to  Seres,  a  city 
fifteen  miles  northwest  of  Salonica :  "  The  Jews  of 
Seres  have  the  same  blind  submission  to  the  rabbis, 
the  same  prejudices,  the  same  evasions  of  the  truth. 
Gold  is  their  God,  and  traffic  is  their  religion, — 
one  would  say,  who  should  meet  them  only  in  their 
fair.  But  in  their  prayers,  and  their  Sabbath  ob- 
servance, the  deceiver  makes  them  appear  to  them- 
selves the  holy  favorites  of  heaven,  separate  from  the 
nations." 

Mr.  Schauffler  had  now  printed  his  Hebrew  gram- 
mar, and  commenced  the  printing  of  his  Literary 

^  ^  labors  of  Mr. 

Hebrew  lexicon.     The  edition  of  the  Pen-  schauffler. 
tateuch  was  nearly  exhausted. 

The  Rev.   Homer  B.  Morgan   and  wife  reached 
Salonica  in  February,  1852.     The  brethren  ^  ^^^  ^^_ 
were   of  the   opinion,  that  while   for  two  ^■°°^'y 
thirds  of  the  year  the  climate  of  that  city  was  tolerably 
healthy,  the  low  portions,  where  the  Jews  and  Greeks 


168       MISSIONS  TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES- 

chiefly  resided,  were  subject  to  malaria.  The  mis- 
sionaries, therefore,  would  have  resided  iu  the  more 
elevated  parts  occupied  by  the  Turks,  but  could 
neither  hire  nor  purchase  houses  in  that  quarter. 
The  best  they  could  do  was  to  live  in  the  upper 
stories  of  their  houses.  Mr.  Dodd  suffered  from  a 
bronchial  affection,  and  sought  to  recruit  his  health 
by  an  excursion  into  Thessaly,  where  he  enjoyed 
some  excellent  opportunities  for  preaching  the  gos- 
pel, both  to  Jews  and  Gentiles.^  Mr.  Parsons  visited 
the  part  of  Macedonia,  which  lies  northwest  of  Sa- 
lonica,  and  then  extended  his  journey  to  Sophia,  the 
capital  of  Bulgaria.^ 

The  health  of  Mr.  Dodd  did  not  improve,  and  he 
Insalubrity     repaired  first  to  Malta,  and  then,  with  the 

of  the  cli-  , 

mate.  couscut  of  the  Committee,  to  the  United 

States.  In  August,  1852,  a  month  after  his  depart- 
ure, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parsons,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dangerous  Morgau  wcrc  all  prostrated  by  intermittent 
sickness.  ^^^^^^  jyj^.g  ^orgau  did  not  yield  to  the 
disease,  till  she  had  exhausted  her  strength  in  caring 
for  the  others  ;  and  then,  after  a  short  illness,  during 
most  of  which  she  was  unconscious,  she  was  removed 
Death  of       to  her  hsavenly  home.     Mr.  Parsons  was 

Mrs.  Mor- 
gan at  one  time  very  low ;  and  the  three  sur- 
vivors were  subjected  to  such  frequent  returns  of 
fever  during  the  winter,  that  they  were  advised  by 

1  Missionary  Herald  for  1852,  pp.  235-238. 

2  Ihid.  pp.  78-83. 


THIRTY  YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.         169 

physicians  to  spend  the  spring-  and  summer  on  the 
Bosphorus.  They  left  the  station  in  charge  of  native 
helpers,   and   removed    to   Constantinople.  Eemovaito 

Constanti- 

Uutil  sickness  came,  their  labors  had  been  nopie. 
uninterrupted.  Their  circle  of  acquaintance  was 
constantly  increasing,  and  they  were  generally  re- 
garded by  the  Jews  as  their  sincere  friends.  They 
were  expected  in  their  visits  to  declare  and  make 
personal  applications  of  gospel  truths.  A  little  vol- 
ume upon  the  inspiration  of  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
tameuts,  by  Mr.  Dodd,  was  favorably  received  by 
many  of  the  Jews. 

It  was  not  deemed  expedient  for  the  brethren  to 
resume  their  residence  in  Salonica.  Mr.  Morgan 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parsons  removed  to  Smyrna,  where 
they  shared  with  their  English  brethren  in  labors 
among  the  Jews.  They  hoped  to  continue  to  occupy 
Salonica  through  Armenian  native  helpers,  and  to 
visit  it  themselves  in  the  healthy  season.  Mr.  Mor- 
gan was  married  to  Mrs.  Sutphen,  of  the  saionica  but 

partially  re- 

Armenian  mission,  at  the  close  of  1853,  and  occupied. 
on  the  return  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodd  to  Smyrna  in 
the  autumn  of  1854,  they  went  to  Salonica,  expecting 
to  remain  there  during  nine  months,  and  then  to 
retire  before  the  miasma  of  summer.  Mr.  Morgan 
was  welcomed  by  his  Jewish  acquaintance,  and  found 
that  the  spirit  of  inquiry  had  spread,  and  that  there 
was  greater  boldness  on  the  part  of  a  few.  But 
whatever  their  secret  conviction  of  the  truth,  none 


170     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

confessed  the  Saviour  openly.  The  first  fruits  ripened 
elsewhere.  A  family  of  three  fled  to  Malta,  and  were 
baptized  there ;  another,  a  converted  rabbi,  came  to 
Smyrna,  and  became  a  teacher.  There  had  been  a 
considerable  advance  in  female  education,  since  Mrs. 
Dodd  had,  with  great  difficulty,  persuaded  a  Jewish 
girl  to  encounter  the  odium  of  learning  to  read. 
Some  prominent  rabbis  were  teaching  their  daugh- 
ters, and  the  tide  seemed  evidently  turning. 

The  Jews  of  Smyrna  were  found  to  be  more 
among  the  worldly,  and  less  given  to  religious  thought, 
jws'°*  than  the  Jews  of  Salonica.  But  an  avow- 
edly Christian  school  of  near  twenty  pupils  was  sus- 
tained during  the  year  1854,  and  taught  by  the 
converted  rabbi  above  mentioned.  The  teacher  was 
known  to  be  a  proselyte.  The  New  Testament  was 
read  daily,  and  biblical  instruction  occupied  a  large 
place.  It  was  hopeful  that  Jews  were  found  willing 
to  place  their  children  in  such  an  atmosphere.  A 
boarding-school  was  opened  for  a  few  of  the  more 
promising  boys  belonging  to  the  day-school.  The 
parents  of  five  actually  signed  a  contract  binding 
them  to  the  missionaries  for  three  years.  This  they 
did  after  the  most  explicit  declarations,  that  while 
the  boys  would  be  trained  for  the  highest  usefulness 
and  happiness  in  this  world,  they  would  be  carefully 
instructed  in  the  way  of  salvation  through  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  The  experiment  could  not  proceed  with- 
out opposition.     The  chief  rabbi  interposed.     The 


THIRTY  YEARS  AMONG  THE  JEWS.         171 

eldest  boy  iu  the  school  manifested  an  inclination 
to  embrace  the  Christian  religion,  and  was  beaten, 
dragged  to  the  synagogue,  and  compelled  to  go 
through  the  form  of  worship.  ^  He  was  then  put  in 
irons  procured  from  the  mad-house.  He  afterwards 
fled  to  Constantinople,  where  he  was  baptized  by  one 
of  the  Scotch  missionaries.  The  teacher  was  also 
thrown  into  prison,  on  a  false  accusation.  A  young 
Jewish  physician  appeared  fully  to  embrace  the  truth, 
and  was  not  moved  by  the  most  cruel  threats,  or 
flattering  promises.  Mr.  Parsons  was  greatly  en- 
couraged. 

The  instruction  of  inquirers  at  Constantinople 
had  passed  mostly  into  the  hands  of  English  and 
Scotch  missionaries  to  the  Jews,  while  Mr.  Labors  of  Mr. 
Schauffler's  labors  were  chiefly  literary.  He  S'='^'^'^«'- 
was  preparing  a  new  translation  of  the  Psalms  into 
Hebrew-Spanish,  in  a  more  popular  style ;  but  could 
hardly  expect  entire  success,  owing  to  the  peculiar- 
ities of  the  language  as  spoken  by  the  common  peo- 
ple in  different  places.  His  translation  of  the  Old 
I'estament  into  Hebrew-German,  after  revision  by 
Mr.  Koeuig,  of  the  Scotch  Free  Church  Mission, 
was  printed  by  the  American  Bible  Society.  He 
was  able  to  preach  in  various  languages,  and  did  not 
neglect  employing  his  talent  in  that  direction.  The 
printing  of  his  Hebrew  Lexicon  was  completed  in 
1854. 

The  reader  will  scarcely  be  prepared  for  the  relia- 


172     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

qnishment  of  this  mission,  which  took  place  early  in 
Why  the       1856,  though  not  in  consequence  of  failing 

mission  was  .  i     t        •    i 

relinquished,  succcss.  The  Armenian  and  Jewish  mis- 
sions, at  their  united  annual  meeting  in  the  spring 
of  1855,  recommended  that  the  Board  relinquish  to 
some  other  society  the  Jewish  stations  of  Salonica 
and  Smyrna.  Constantinople,  as  such  a  station,  had 
been  practically  relinquished  some  time  before.  At 
a  conference  of  missionaries  in  Constantinople  in 
November  of  that  year,  on  occasion  of  a  visit  from 
the  Foreign  Secretary  of  the  Board,  the  subject  was 
carefully  considered,  and  the  question  was  decided 
according  to  the  personal  convictions  of  the  brethren 
in  the  Jewish  mission.  The  result  was  in  favor  of 
relinquishing  the  Jewish  field  to  the  English  and 
Scotch  Societies  5  and  of  the  younger  members  of 
the  mission  devoting  their  strength  to  the  Armenian 
field,  the  exclusive  right  to  which  had  been  con- 
ceded to  American  missionaries  by  the  general  con- 
sent, as  it  were,  of  Protestant  Christendom.  It  had 
become  certain  that  the  Board  could  not  command 
laborers  enough  to  do  anything  like  justice  to  both 
fields ;  while  the  English  and  Scotch  churches  man- 
ifested a  special  interest  in  laboring  for  the  conver- 
sion of  the  ancient  people  of  God ;  and  there  were 
both  English  and  Scotch  missionaries  in  Constanti- 
nople, and  English  missionaries  in  Smyrna;  and 
others  from  the  Established  Church  of  Scotland 
were  ready  to  occupy  Salonica. 


THIRTY   YEARS  AMONG   THE  JEWS.         173 

Mr.  Schauffler  subsequently   devoted   himself  to 
labors  for   the   Moslems,  many  of  whom  Mr.sehauffler 

to  labor  for 

were  becoming  interested  in  the  spiritual  the  Moslems. 
form  of  Christianity  presented  in  the  Protestant 
Armenian  communities,  that  were  springing  up 
throughout  the  empire. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  BULGARIANS  OP  EUROPEAN  TURKEY. 

1857-1862. 

The  geographical  position  of  European  Turkey 
Thegeo-  brings  it  directly  in  contact  with  European 
position.  civilization.  Its  interior  may  easily  be 
reached  from  the  Bosphorus,  the  Sea  of  Marmora, 
the  Dardanelles,  the  Grecian  Archipelago,  the  Adri- 
atic Sea,  and  from  the  Danube  flowing  down  from 
Moslem  pop-  *^^  heart  of  Europe.  The  Mohammedan 
uiation.  population  is  estimated  at  four  millions, 
and  three  fourths  of  these  are  supposed  to  be  of 
Christian  origin,  and  less  firmly  wedded  to  the  Mos- 
lem faith  than  the  remaining  million  of  Osmanly 
Turks.  And  even  these,  born  and  educated  on  the 
borders  of  Europe,  in  the  midst  of  divers  Christian 
races,  must  form  a  character  different  from  that  of 
the  Asiatic  Turks  in  other  parts  of  the  empire. 

Of  the  various  races  in  European  Turkey,  the 
The  Bvdga-  Bulgarians,  properly  so  called,  who  are  es- 
"'''^"  timated  at  four  millions,  speaking  the  Bul- 

garian language,  claim  our  first  attention.  They 
inhabit  not  only  Bulgaria  proper,  extending  from 


THE  BULGARIANS   OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.      175 

the  Danube  to  the  Balkan  Mountains,  but  also  an 
extensive  region  south  of  these  mountains,  reaching- 
to  the  Bosphorus,  the  Marmora,  and  Albania ;  and 
embracing  a  good  part  of  ancient  Thrace,  Albania, 
and  Macedonia.^ 

The  Bulgarians  are  of  Slavonic  origin,  and  their 
race  is  among  the  oldest  in  Europe.     In  Their  origia 

and  early 

the  latter  part  of  the  fifth  century  they  history. 
crossed  the  Danube,  and  gave  their  name  to  the 
country  between  that  river  and  the  Balkan  Moun- 
tains. In  subsequent  ages  they  extended  their  con- 
quests into  Thrace  and  Macedonia,  and,  eucamijing 
before  the  walls  of  Constantinople,  sought  to  drive 
the  Byzantine  emperors  into  Asia  Minor.  In  712, 
the  Bulgarian  troops  defeated  the  armies  of  the 
Eastern  Roman  Empire,  and  laid  siege  to  Constanti- 
nople. Three  years  later  their  king  concluded  a 
commercial  treaty  with  the  Emperor  Theodosius  III. 
which  is  said  to  have  remained  in  force  for  a  long 
time.  In  the  year  814  the  Bulgarians  again  in- 
vaded the  Roman  Empire,  captured  Adrianople,  and 
carried  a  bishop  named  Manuel,  with  others  of  the 
citizens,   into   captivity.      This  person  formed   the 

1  On  the  map,  this  country  is  called  Bulgaria,  Roumelia,  and  Mace- 
donia. Roumelia,  formerly  called  Moldavia  and  Wallachia,  north  of 
the  Danube,  is  peopled  by  a  race  supposed  to  be  descended  from  the 
old  Roman  military  colonies.  The  language  has  an  affinity  to  the 
Latin.  Servia  is  peopled  by  Slavs,  who  speak  substantially  the  same 
language  with  the  Bulgarians.  The  population  of  Roumania  is  esti- 
mated at  3,864,000,  and  that  of  Servia  at  1 ,078,000. 


176    MISSIONS  TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

companions  of  his  captivity  into  a  church,  and  they 
remained  true  to  their  faith,  and  labored  earnestly 
for  its  spread.  Having  made  proselytes  among  the 
Bulgarians,  the  bishop  and  many  of  the  captives 
suffered  martyrdom.  Somewhat  later,  a  captive 
monk,  named  Coustantine  Cypharas,  endeavored  to 
carry  forward  the  work  thus  commenced ;  but  the 
Greek  empress,  Theodora,  for  some  special  reasons, 
was  led  to  redeem  this  monk,  and  procure  his  return 
to  his  native  country.  At  this  juncture,  a  sister  of 
the  Bulgarian  king  Bogoris  was  residing  at  Con- 
stantinople, whither  she  had  been  conveyed  as  a 
captive  in  early  youth,  and  where  she  had  been  edu- 
cated as  a  Christian,  and  the  effort  to  secure  the 
return  of  the  monk  resulted  in  her  being  sent  back 
Their  con-  to  hcr  fricuds.  She  now  labored  to  gain 
Christianity,  ovcr  the  king,  her  brother,  to  the  Christian 
faith.  Circumstances  at  length  favored  her  pious 
efforts,  and  she  sent  for  Methodius  of  Thessalonica, 
a  monk  and  a  skilful  painter.  He  was  afterwards 
joined  by  his  older  brother  Coustantine,  or  Cyrill, 
surnamed  the  Philosopher,  on  account  of  his  learn- 
ing. Cyrill  reduced  the  Slavonic  language  to  writ- 
ing, taught  the  barbarous  nation  the  use  of  letters, 
and  translated  the  Scriptures  into  that  language. 
In  the  year  861  he  baptized  king  Bogoris.  The 
king  undertook  to  force  his  people  to  change  their 
religion  and  they  revolted.  He  succeeded  in  sup- 
pressing the  rebellion,  and  showed  the  superficial 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     177 

nature  of  his  Christianity  by  the  cruel  revenge  he 
took  on  the  leaders  of  the  revolt.  Then  the  nation 
followed  the  lead  of  their  king-,  and  has  ever  since 
been  nominally  Christian.  Neander  says,  that  Cyrill 
was  distinguished  from  all  other  missionaries  of  that 
period,  by  not  yielding  to  the  prejudice  which  re- 
garded the  languages  of  the  rude  nations  as  too 
profane  to  be  employed  for  sacred  uses,  and  by  not 
shrinking  from  any  toil  which  was  necessary  to 
master  the  language  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
labored. 

The  Bulgarians  wavered  for  a  time,  according  to 
the  sway  of  their  political  interests,  between  Their  eccie- 

siastical  re- 

the  Greek  and  Latin  Churches,  until  finally  lations. 
they  decided  wholly  in  favor  of  the  former,  and  a 
Greek  archbishop  and  bishops  were  set  over  tliem.^ 

In  the  year  924,  Simeon,  the  Bulgarian  monarch, 
compelled  the  Byzantine  Emperor,  Romanus  I.,  to 
recognize  the  National  Church  of  Bulgaria  as  wholly 
independent  of  the  Greek  Hierarchy.  This  inde- 
pendence, after  about  fifty  years,  was  partially  de- 
stroyed by  a  Greek  Emperor ;  and  in  1018,  Basil  II. 
restored  the  supremacy  of  the  Patriarch  of  Constan- 
tinojile.  The  kingdom  was  revived  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  twelfth  century,  but  was  again  overthrown  in 
1393,  by  the  Sultan  Bajazet  I.    Mohammed  II.,  when 

1  Neander's  Ecclesiastical  History,  vol.  iii.  pp.  307-316,  Torrey's 
Translation ;  and  Dr.  Murdock's  Note  to  p.  51  of  Mosheim's  Institute 
of  Ecclesiastical  History,  vol.  ii. 

VOL.  II.  12 


178     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

he  subverted  the  Eastern  Empire  in  1453,  made  the 
religious  chiefs  of  the  Christian  sects  responsible, 
not  only  for  the  spiritual  administration  of  their  re- 
spective flocks,  but  also  for  that  of  a  large  share  of 
their  temporal  affairs,  —  such  as  public  education, 
civil  suits,  contracts,  wills,  and  the  like.  The  Bul- 
garians appear  for  a  time  not  to  have  been  formally 
recognized  by  the  Turks  as  belonging  to  the  Greek 
Church,  and  of  course  were  not  subject  to  its  Patri- 
arch ;  but  the  Fanariote  Greeks  succeeded  at  last  in 
making  the  Porte  believe  that,  being  of  the  same 
religion  with  the  Greeks,  they  should  be  placed  under 
the  direct  authority  of  the  Patriarch  of  Constanti- 
nople ;  and  this  was  effected  in  the  year  1767.  Thus 
the  Bulgarians  lost  their  religious  independence. 

Since  then,  they  have  ever  cherished  an  intense 
Their  aver-  disllkc  of  thc  Grcck  bishops,  whose  aim  has 
Greekwer-  always  bccu  to  extinguish  every  remnant 
*'"  ^  of  national  feeling,  and  obliterate  all  traces 

of  their  origin.  They  earnestly  desired  to  have  the 
Bible  and  the  church-services  in  their  own  vernacular 
language,  while  the  Greek  Patriarch  and  his  bishops 
insisted  upon  using  only  the  ancient  Greek.  The 
people  desired  to  have  their  children  taught  in  the 
schools  through  the  language  of  their  own  homes, 
while  the  bishops  insisted  that  the  instruction  should 
be  in  the  Greek  language.  They  desired  that  their 
bishops  and  other  ecclesiastics  should  be  chosen  from 
among  themselves ;  but  the  Patriarch  forced  upon 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     179 

them  Greek  bishops,  men  of  a  foreig-n  tongue,  and 
foreign  habits  and  sympathies,  whose  whole  aim  was 
to  keep  the  people  under  the  galling  yoke  of  ec- 
clesiastical tyranny.! 

What  the  Bulgarian  people  specially  desired  was 
ecclesiastical  independence;  and,  in  order  Their  danger 
to  be  freed  from  their  forced  dependence  Papacy. 
on  the  Greek  Patriarchate,  their  leading  men  some- 
times inclined  to  go  over  to  the  Pope.  This  of 
course  was  favored  by  the  intrigues  of  the  Jesuits, 
and  politically  by  all  the  power  of  France.  This 
awakened  state  of  mind  led  many  to  examine  the 
teachings  of  Scripture,  and  compare  them  with  those 
of  the  Greek  and  Papal  Churches ;  and  some  made 
inquiries  of  the  missionaries  at  the  several  intervention 

of  Protes- 

stations,  as  to  Protestantism ;  and  the  ques-  tantism. 
tion  naturally  arose,  whether  it  would  not  be  as  well 
to  become  Protestants,  as  Roman  Catholics. 

The  Greek  Patriarch  was  decided  and  bold.  In 
1861,  he  summoned  the  Bulgarian  bishops  gt^uggie 
to  appear  and  answer  for  themselves  before  Gr'^k'patri- 
his  great  ecclesiastical  Council  at  Constan- 
tinople ;  but  they  refused,  declaring  that  they  owed 
him  no  allegiance.  The  summons  was  thrice  re- 
peated, but  in  vain  ;  whereupon  the  bishops  were 
anathematized,  and  it  was  resolved  to  banish  them 
to  Mount  Sinai.  This  was  prevented  by  the  inter- 
ference of  the  Protestant  Ambassadors,  and  the  Bul- 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1858,  p.  322. 


180    MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

gariaiis  rallied  to  the  defense  of  their  bishops.  Three 
thousand  of  them  gathered  at  one  time  in  one  of 
their  churches  in  the  metropolis,  and  were  prevented 
from  proclaiming  a  Free  Bulgarian  Church  only  by 
the  intervention  of  the  Turkish  government.  Mean- 
while the  Bulgarian  nation  was  agitated  with  the 
discussion  of  religious  doctrines  and  ecclesiastical 
relations,  and  the  Papists  flooded  the  land  with  their 
publications.  When  the  anathema  against  the  bish- 
ops was  sent  to  the  Bulgarian  towns,  the  people  in 
some  places  would  not  allow  it  to  be  read,  and  pub- 
licly burnt  it.  They  even  caused  a  counter  anathema 
to  be  read  against  the  Greek  Church.  They  doubt- 
less regarded  this  matter  as  wholly  a  religious  one  ; 
but,  in  an  evangelical  point  of  view,  it  was  little 
more  than  a  national  movement  for  securing  their 
rights.  Sentiments  were  sometimes  uttered,  how- 
ever, which  strongly  reminded  one  of  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Reformation  in  Germany.  "  The  religion 
of  the  Greeks,"  says  Mr.  Crane,  "has  been  de- 
nounced as  contrary  to  the  Bible,  and  the  Scriptures 
eulogized  and  recommended  to  the  people.  In  their 
printed  speeches  we  have  seen  no  instance,  in  which 
they  have  called  upon  Mary  and  the  saints  for  pro- 
tection, but  many  in  which  they  have  called  upon 
God  to  vindicate  their  cause." 

Rouraelia  was  partially  explored  in  1857  by  Dr. 
First expio-  Hamliu,  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Henry 
Roumeiia.      Joucs,  Secretary  of  the  Turkish  Missions 


Dr.  Hamlin's 
report. 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     181 

Aid  Society,  then  visitiug-  our  missions  in  Turkey. 
From  Rodosto  to  Adriauople,  a  distance  of  seventy- 
two  miles,  they  saw  hut  few  Bulgarian  villages.  Yet 
what  came  within  their  observation  was  of  special 
interest.  "  Wherever  we  saw  flocks,  we  saw 
Bulgarian  shepherds  ;  and  wherever  we  saw 
cultivation,  we  saw  Bulgarian  laborers.  They  are 
indeed  spread  all  over  Roumelia,  as  laborers  and 
shepherds,  and  the  industry  of  the  country  is  in  their 
hands.  The  laud  is  generally  of  excellent  quality. 
It  lies  spread  out  in  beautiful  levels,  and  undulating, 
gently  rising  hills.  In  the  neighborhood  of  villages 
it  is  covered  with  rich  fields  of  grain,  but  elsewhere, 
for  successive  miles,  it  is  roamed  over  by  flocks  of 
sheep,  which,  however,  cannot  crop  a  tithe  of  the 
grass.  It  is  a  beautiful  region,  waiting  for  the  taste 
and  intelligence  of  virtuous  industry  to  make  it  a 
paradise." 

We  have  also  a  charming  view  given  us  of  the 
hundred  miles  of  country  between  Adrianople  and 
Philippopolis,  as  it  presented  itself  to  the  travellers 
in  the  opening  of  spring.  "•  The  Greek  race  disap- 
pears entirely  from  the  soil,  and  the  predominant 
race  is  the  Bulgarian.  So  entirely  unconscious  are 
the  people  of  the  Balkan's  being  the  boundary,  that 
when  I  spoke  of  Bulgaria,  I  was  repeatedly  corrected 
by  the  remark,  '  You  are  now  in  Bulgaria.'  The 
soil  along  our  route  is  of  the  finest  quality,  and  large 
villages  were  occasionally  seen  on  our  right  and  left, 


182     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

with  magnificeut  views  of  cultivated  lands  and  vast 
pastures,  the  snowy  Balkau  summits  bounding  the 
north,  and  lower  ranges  of  hills  the  south.  The 
fields,  clothed  in  the  brightest  verdure  of  spring, 
gave  promise  of  unsurpassed  abundance ;  and  in  view 
of  the  inspiring  scenes  before  us,  we  could  not  for- 
bear exclaiming,  with  the  Psalmist :  '  Thou  crownest 
the  year  with  thy  goodness,  and  thy  paths  drop  fat- 
ness. The  pastures  are  clothed  with  flocks;  the 
valleys  also  are  covered  over  with  corn ;  they  shout 
for  joy,  they  also  sing.'  " 

Dr.  Hamlin  speaks  thus  of  the  people :  "  In  the 
midst  of  this  fertility,  we  had  only  to  cast  the  eye 
upon  one  of  the  villages  in  order  to  feel  that  cruel 
oppression  and  spiritual  darkness  are  upon  the  peo- 
ple. In  some  of  the  Bulgarian  villages  we  saw  no 
window,  nor  even  a  place  for  one,  in  a  single  house. 
The  country  being  destitute  of  forest  trees,  there  is 
no  timber,  except  what  is  brought  from  a  great  dis- 
tance, and  so  they  construct  their  dwellings  of  the 
lightest  material  possible.  They  are  generally  of 
wicker  work,  plastered  within  with  mud.  A  large 
mud  chimney  and  a  door  are  the  only  openings. 
And  yet  the  Bulgarians,  in  these  miserable  cottages, 
are  the  cleanliest  people  in  the  world.  Excepting 
the  rice  cultivators,  who  dress  expressly  for  their 
muddy  work,  we  saw  not  a  ragged  Bulgarian  be- 
tween Adrianople  and  Philippopolis.  Their  clothes 
are  of  home  manufacture,  coarse,  strong,  whole,  and 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     183 

clean.  The  unembarrassed,  kind,  respectful  bearing 
of  the  people,  men,  women,  and  children,  must  im- 
press the  most  cursory  observer.  An  impudent 
laug-h,  an  over-curious  gaze,  or  a  rude  remark,  we 
did  not  meet  with  from  old  or  young.  We  could 
hardly  say  this  after  going  ten  steps  into  a  Greek  or 
Turkish  village." 

The  favorable  report  made  by  Dr.  Hamlin  to  his 
mission,  awakened   much  interest,  and  it 

'  Effect  of  the 

was  resolved,  "  That  the  Bulgarian  and  ^^'X*^" 
other  Slavonic  races  inhabiting  European  °''^^''"' 
Turkey,  call  loudly  for  immediate  and  vigorous  mis- 
sionary efforts;  and  being  providentially  thrown 
upon  the  American  churches  as  the  chosen  instru- 
mentality for  evangelizing  them,  are  worthy  of  their 
most  devoted  patronage." 

The  mission  was  commenced  with  the  understand- 
ing, that  the  operations  of  the  American  Di^gjoaof 
Board  would  be  in  the  country  south  of  the  *^'^''^- 
Balkan  Mountains;  while  the  missionaries  of  the 
American  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  were  to  oc- 
cupy stations  north  of  these  mountains.  The 
Methodist  brethren  desired  the  aid  of  one  Tour  north 

of  the  Bal- 

of  the  older  missionaries  at  Constantinople  ^an. 
in  the  selection  of  their  first  station,  and  Mr.  E.  E. 
Bliss  accompanied  them.  They  visited  Varna, 
Shumla,  Rasgrad,  and  Rustchuk,  and  decided  upon 
occupying  the  first  and  second  of  these  places.  The 
acquaintance  thus  formed  between  the  two  missions 


184     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

was  ever  after  a  source  of  mutual  pleasure  aud 
profit.  Mr.  Bliss  thus  concludes  a  report  of  his 
visit :  — 

"  This,  my  first  acquaiutance  v^^ith  the  Bulg-arians, 
Keport  of  ^^^  giveu  me  a  very  favorable  opinion  of 
Mr.  Bliss.  tijem^  Others  have  expressed  a  diflFereut 
opinion,  but  I  should  rank  them  before  the  Arme- 
nians in  native  intelligence  and  cultivation.  Cer- 
tainly a  higher  degree  of  civilization  prevails  among 
them,  than  among  the  Armenians  of  Asia  Minor. 
They  have  better  homes,  better  vehicles,  better  im- 
plements of  husbandry.  Wherever  we  went,  we 
found  much  to  remind  us  that  we  were  in  Europe, 
aud  not  in  Asia.  Our  road  from  Varna  to  Rust- 
chuk  was  bordered  by  the  posts  aud  wires  of  the 
telegraph.  Every  town  had  its  telegraphic  station 
and  corps  of  operators  —  French,  English,  and  Po- 
lish gentlemen.  More  than  once,  through  their 
unsolicited  kindness,  our  approach  to  a  stopping 
place  was  announced  by  the  wire,  and  we  found 
lodgings  made  ready  against  our  coming.  This,  to 
me,  was  quite  a  strange  feature  of  missionary  trav- 
elling, very  unlike  my  experience  in  Asia  Minor." 

The  Rev.  Charles  F.  Morse,  who  joined  the  Ar- 
commence-     mcuian  missiou  in  1857,  was  appointed  to 

nient  of  the  .  t  •  i    •        p 

mission.  commence  the  mission.  Leaving  Ins  fam- 
ily at  Constantinople  until  he  had  completed  his 
arrangements,  he  proceeded  to  Adrianople  in  March, 
1858,  with  Hagopos,  a  graduate  of  the  Bebek  Sem- 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     185 

inary,  as  au  assistant.  The  population  of  Adriauople 
was  then  estimated  at  one  hundred  and  forty  thou- 
sand, of  whom  forty  thousand  were  supposed  to  be 
Turks.  The  books  in  the  Turkish  language  fouud 
in  Mr.  Morse's  baggage,  including  a  large  number 
of  New  Testaments,  were  at  first  detained  at  the 
custom-house,  under  instructious  from  the  Porte, 
but  were  released  upon  application  of  the  American 
and  English  Consuls.  His  bookseller  obtained  a 
firman  for  the  sale  of  books,  and  freely  exposed  the 
Turkish  Testament,  and  Mr.  Morse  was  himself 
allowed  free  access  to  the  largest  and  finest  of  the 
mosques,  —  a  favor  not  granted  at  the  capital. 

The  most  formidable  opposition  apprehended  was 
from  the  Romish  missionaries.  They  had  papauppo- 
beeu  quick  to  see  a  double  advantage  in  '"'°''' 
the  disaffection  of  the  Bulgarians  with  the  Greek 
Church,  and  the  fall  of  the  Russian  Protectorate, 
and  had  already  erected  a  fine  church.  The  French 
residents,  their  consul,  and  even  the  English  consu- 
lar agent,  were  Catholics.  An  intelligent  Bulgarian 
expressed  the  opinion  that  Protestant  missions  fur- 
nished the  only  possible  safeguard  against  Rome  in 
that  country,  and  one  of  the  best  informed  of  the 
American  missionaries  declared  his  belief,  that  the 
greatest  contest  of  Protestantism  with  Rome,  since 
the  era  of  the  Reformation,  would  be  in  Turkey. 

The  Rev.  Theodore  L.  Byington  and  wife  joined 
the  mission  in  1858,  and  were  stationed  at  Adrian- 


186     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

ople.  In  the  next  year,  the  mission  was  strength- 
The  mission  ^°^^  ^J  ^^^^  aiTival  of  Rcv.  Messi's.  William 
enlarged.  ^  Mcriam  and  James  F.  Clark  and  their 
wives,  who  commenced  a  station  at  Philippopolis,  in 
ancient  Thrace.  The  Rev.  William  F.  Arms  and 
wife  arrived  in  1860,  and  were  associated  with  Mr. 
Byington  in  a  new  station  at  Eski  Zagra,  seventy- 
five  miles  northwest  from  Adrianople,  sixty  north- 
east from  Philippopolis,  and  twenty  miles  south  of 
the  Balkan  Mountains.  Mr.  Oliver  Crane  was  trans- 
ferred from  the  Western  Turkey  Mission  to  Adrian- 
ople, in  1860.  The  population  of  Philippopolis  wa,3 
Accessible  estimated  at  about  sixty  thousand,  of  whom 
population,  ^^(jjjty  thousand  were  Bulgarians,  sixteen 
thousand  Mohammedans,  fourteen  thousand  Greeks, 
and  five  thousand  Jews.  Surrounding  the  city, 
there  were,  within  a  circuit  of  thirty  or  forty  miles, 
more  than  three  hundred  villages,  including  a  large 
population,  mostly  Bulgarians.  These  villages  were 
easy  of  access,  and  some  of  them  would  afford  a 
healthy  retreat  in  summer.  There  were  numerous 
mosques,  and  five  Greek  and  three  Bulgarian 
churches.  The  Romanists  were  building  a  large 
church  edifice.  The  situation  of  Eski  Zagra  was  at 
the  northern  extremity  of  a  luxuriant  and  beautiful 
plain,  and  contained  ten  thousand  Bulgarians  and 
eight  thousand  Turks. 

Mr.  Byington  found  a  remarkable  zeal  for  educa- 
tion.    There  were  in  the  town  six  Bulgarian  schools 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.    187 

for  boys,  with  eight  hundred  scholars,  and  four  for 
girls  with  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  Desire  for 
scholars;  and  in  the  surrounding  villages  ^'i"'=^''°'^- 
there  were  eleven  schools,  with  three  hundred  pupils. 
For  the  two  principal  schools  they  had  spacious 
buildings,  that  would  grace  a  New  England  town. 
The  teachers  were  gentlemenly  men,  and  enthusi- 
astic in  their  work.  This  class  of  teachers  had 
generally  received  their  education  abroad,  for  the 
most  part  in  Russia,  where  they  could  secure  it 
without  expense.  They  were  earnest  in  their  efforts 
to  introduce  a  higher  civilization,  and  gave  the  mis- 
sionaries a  cordial  reception.  It  was  otherwise  with 
the  priests. 

The  readiness  of  the  Bulgarians  to  receive  the 
New  Testament  in  their  spoken  language,  Kgadiness  to 
is  deserving  of  special  note.  An  English  NewTes^- 
gentleman,  at  one  of  the  fairs  in  1857,  sold 
four  hundred  copies,  which  was  all  he  had.  Several 
editions  were  printed  under  the  direction  of  the  Brit- 
ish and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  and  were  exhausted 
in  1859.  At  least  fifteen  thousand  copies  had  been 
distributed,  chiefly  by  sale,  and  the  demand  did  not 
seem  diminished.  Mr.  Byington  reports  at  Eski 
Zagra  in  September,  1860,  that,  at  the  examination 
of  one  of  the  schools,  each  of  twelve  members  of  the 
most  advanced  class  was  presented  by  the  Trustees 
with  a  handsome  copy  of  the  Bible  Society's  edi- 
tion of   the   New   Testament.     Subsequent   experi- 


188     MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

ence  tended  somewhat  to  diminish  the  value  of  such 
facts. 

A  church  was  formed  at  Adrianople,  on  the  first 
Church         Sabbath  in  1862,  with  a  mixed  membership. 

formed  at  i  i        i  <         j.i 

Adrianople.  Pastor  Aprahaui,  already  known  to  the 
reader  in  connection  with  the  church  at  Rodosto, 
came  by  invitation,  with  one  of  his  deacons,  to  assist 
in  its  formation  ;  as  also  did  the  missionaries  from 
Eski  Zagra. 

Mr.  Meriam  at  the  close  of  1861,  stated  as  the 
results  of  observations  in  his  recent  tours,  that  in 
villages  and  towns  where  colporters  had  penetrated 
with  the  Word  of  Life,  the  people  were  no  longer 
afraid  of  Protestants,  but  respected  and  confided  in 
them  ;  while  they  venerated  and  clung  to  their  own 
form  of  religion ;  and  that  the  obvious  way  to 
benefit  the  people,  spiritually  and  temporally,  most 
thoroughly  and  speedily,  was  to  have  suitable  native 
helpers  quietly  settled  in  such  villages.  His  ac- 
count of  some  of  the  incidents  on  these  tours  will 
prepare  the  reader  to  sympathize  with  this  excellent 
missionary,  and  his  estimable  wife,  in  the  sad  events 
soon  to  be  narrated. 

"  On  reaching  Tatar  Bazarjik,  the  family  of  one 
Labors  of  ®^  ^^^  boardiug  scholars  would  not  permit 
Mr.  Meriam.  ^^  ^^  ^^  ^^  ^  public  khau,  but  iuslstcd  that 
I  should  go  to  their  house.  I  accepted  the  kind  in- 
vitation, and  while  with  them,  at  their  request,  con- 
ducted family  worship,  morning  and  evening.  Visited 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     189 

a  dozen  families  and  was  cordially  welcomed  by  al!. 
In  walking  the  street,  one  morning",  I  heard  a  voice 
from  a  shop  inviting  me  to  come  in,  and  on  entering 
fonnd  a  company  of  Bulgarians,  with  their  faces  all 
aglow  with  the  questions  they  had  to  ask.  A  number 
of  persons  collected  from  other  shops,  and  after  an 
hour,  all  seemed  still  unwilling  that  the  conversation 
should  be  broken  off.  Their  questions  showed  an 
intelligent  desire  for  light  on  the  true  way  of  salva- 
tion." 

"  Early  Sabbath  morning,  a  number  of  Bulgarians 
came  to  our  room  at  the  khan  (at  Otluk-Keuy),  and 
began  to  ask  questions  about  Christ,  the  Virgin 
Mary,  the  New  Testament,  Popery,  Protestantism, 
the  ceremonies  of  the  Greek  Church,  etc.,  etc.  The 
number  of  persons  increased  until  we  had  an  audi- 
ence of  forty.  They  gave  us  no  time  to  eat  until 
nightfall ;  and  in  the  evening  nine  more  came,  and 
seemed  convinced  of  the  truth.  We  spent  a  week 
in  this  village.  Wine  is  drank  largely,  and  most  of 
the  young  men  are  very  wild,  but  we  found  some 
whose  conversation  encouraged  us  much.  For  ex- 
ample, there  are  three  who  hold  regular  meetings 
for  the  study  of  the  New  Testament  on  Sabbaths  and 
fast  days.  Such  questions  as  they  cannot  solve  for 
themselves  they  reserve,  until  some  one  who  can, 
passes  through  their  village.  They  have  become 
fully  aware,  by  their  study  of  the  New  Testament, 
that  the  Greek  Church  is  not  the  one  established  by 


190     MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

the  Apostles.  One  of.  their  earnest  questions  was, 
'  Can  we  find  salvation  in  the  Greek  Church  ? '  We 
found  one  enlightened  priest  in  this  village,  and 
spent  a  half  day  conversing  with  him.  He  informed 
us  that  he  was  endeavoring  to  have  the  church  ser- 
vice in  the  vulgar  tongue,  so  that  all  might  under- 
stand. He  quotes  Scripture  readily,  and  is  doing 
much  good.  All  the  other  priests  are  miserable  wine 
drinkers.  On  my  refusing  the  invitation  of  one  of 
these  to  drink  with  him,  he  exclaimed  in  astonish- 
ment, '  What !  are  you  not  a  Christian '  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY. 

1862-1871. 

Brigandage  has  at  times  prevailed  in  some  parts 
of  Bulgaria,  especially  iu  the  Balkan  Moun-  Brigandage 
tains.  In  the  spring  of  1862,  the  roads  '^^"ig^rf^- 
were  more  or  less  infested  with  highwaymen,  but  the 
one  from  Philippopolis  to  Adrianople,  and  thence  to 
Rodosto,  being  constantly  travelled,  was  deemed  safe. 
By  this  road  Mr.  Byington,  and  Mr.  Meriam  with 
his  wife  and  child,  went  to  Constantinople,  to  attend 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  Western  Turkey  Mission. 
Returning,  Mr.  Byington  started  a  week  before  Mr. 
Meriam,  and  reached  Eski  Zagra  safely,  going  from 
Adrianople  to  Philippopolis  alone.  Mr.  Meriam 
passed  over  the  same  route  with  his  family.  Nothing 
noticeable  occurred  till  they  reached  Her-  Mr.  Meriam 

.  1  „  i    1    •  1  murdered  by 

manli,  twelve  hours  from  Adrianople,  at  brigands. 
noon,  July  3d.  Here  they  found  a  company  of  half 
a  score  or  more  of  men,  with  four  wagons,  hesitating 
to  proceed  on  account  of  a  band  of  mounted  brig- 
ands, said  to  be  lying  in  wait  to  rob  them.  Unfor- 
tunately the  courageous  advice  of  Mr.  Meriam  de- 
cided them  to  proceed,  accompanied  by  two  armed 


192     MISSIONS  TO  THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

g-nards.  After  they  had  started,  Mr.  Meriam  became 
coiiviueed  that  it  would  have  been  safer  for  him  and 
his  family  to  have  gone  alone ;  and  such  was  the 
fact,  for  the  robbers  did  not  know  of  his  presence, 
and  designed  only  to  plunder  the  rayahs.  The  brig- 
ands came  upon  them  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  The  faithless  guards  fled  at  once,  and 
some  valuable  horses  were  seized.  The  drivers  of 
the  two  forward  talaccas,  of  which  Mr.  Meriam's  was 
one,  then  increased  their  speed,  endeavoring"  to  es- 
cape ;  when  the  robbers  pursued,  firing  rapidly  upon 
the  wagons,  piercing  the  covering  of  Mr.  Meriam's, 
and  killing  or  wounding  two  or  three  occupants  of 
the  next  vehicle.  The  missionary  and  his  family 
were  shielded  for  a  time  by  the  boxes  in  the  hinder 
part  of  the  carriage,  till  the  fall  of  one  of  the  horses 
wheeled  it  round,  so  as  to  face  the  assailants.  Mr. 
Meriam  sprang  out  to  protect  his  wife  and  child, 
and  immediately  fell,  pierced  by  two-  balls.  When 
the  agonized  wife  expostulated  with  one  of  the  brig- 
ands, saying,  that  "  he  loved  the  Osmanlees,  and 
wished  to  do  them  good,"  he  replied,  "Why  then 
did  you  flee  "  ?  Had  they  quietly  waited,  though  they 
might  have  been  robbed,  life  would  probably  have 
been  spared. 

Mrs.  Meriam  retained  her  presence  of  mind,  and 

Distressing     pl^ciug  hcr  iufaut  upon  the  ground,  care- 

stanT'of       fully  collected  the  papers  and  other  articles 

enam.  ^j^jg|j  ^j^^  robbcrs  had  scattered  about,  and 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     193 

then  sat  down  to  watch  the  lifeless  remains  of  her 
husband.  The  Turkish  authorities  of  the  next  vil- 
lage sent  a  conveyance  to  take  her  and  her  precious 
treasure  to  a  khan.  When  the  nioodir  saw  her  in 
her  little  room,  with  her  babe  and  the  corpse  of  her 
husband,  he  was  much  moved,  and  did  what  he  could, 
for  her  comfort.  He  sent  a  telegram  to  the  governor 
of  Philippopolis,  designed  for  Mr.  Clarke,  but  Mr. 
Clarke  received  no  notice,  and  consequently  no  friend 
came  to  meet  her.  She  conveyed  the  body  in  her 
own  carriage  ;  and  spent  the  whole  of  the  next  night, 
with  her  babe,  watching  the  talacca  in  the  open  air, 
vainly  listening  for  the  coming  of  the  messenger 
whom  she  had  so  much  reason  to  expect.  On  the 
next  and  last  day,  she  prevailed  on  a  Bulgarian  boy 
to  hasten  on  with  a  message,  which  brought  Mr. 
Clarke  to  her  relief,  but  only  just  before  she  entered 
the  city.  An  immediate  burial  was  necessary.  The 
Austrian,  Greek,  and  French  Consuls  were  very 
kind,  and  the  Bulgarian  church  was  offered  for  the 
funeral. 

Mrs.  Meriam  possessed  an  excellent  constitution, 
but  the  strain  had  been  too  much  for  her.  Death  of  mm 
A  premature  confinement  followed,  and  ^®"'''° 
fever,  which  assumed  a  typhoid  form,  closed  her 
earthly  career,  July  25,  about  three  weeks  after  her 
husband's  murder.^ 

1  A  statement,  made  at  the  time,  that  Mr.  Meriam  fired  on  the 
assassins  was  afterwards  found  to  be  untrue.    Nor  did  Mrs.  Meriam 

VOL.  11.  13 


194      MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

It  was  necessary  that  an  example  should  be  made 
of  the  murderers.     Mr.  Seward,  Secretary 


pun'^h*the  of  Stat^  ^t  Washington,  took  Mr.  Web- 
assassins.  gter's  vicw  as  to  the  rights  of  missionaries, 
and  removed  the  doubts  of  Mr.  Morris,  the  Ameri- 
can Minister  at  the  Porte,  which  had  occasioned  an 
unfortunate  delay ;  so  that  he,  with  Mr.  Goddard  the 
Consul  General,  put  matters  in  train  at  Adrianople, 
which  led  the  Pasha  of  that  province  to  oiFer  four 
hundred  dollars,  and  soon  after  as  much  more,  for 
information  that  would  insure  the  detection  of  the 
assassins,  and  to  distribute  bauds  of  soldiers  over 
the  country.  Mr.  Blunt,  the  English  Consul  at 
Adrianople,  offered  a  reward  of  ninety  dollars  on  his 
own  responsibility;  and  with  him  the  Austrian 
Consul,  Mr.  Camerlobe,  actively  cooperated. 

These  efforts  resulted  in  the  arrest,  conviction, 
and  execution  of  three  of  the  five  engaged  in  the 
murder.  The  remaining  two  met  with  an  igno- 
minious and  violent  death ;  one  having  been  assas- 
sinated, and  the  other  shot  down  while  committing 
highway  robbery  in  an  adjacent  province. 

A  very  effectual  check  was  thus  put  to  the  brig- 
checkto       andage  so  prevalent  before,  and  the  atteu- 

the  brigand- 
age- tion  of  all  classes  was  drawn  to  the  char- 
acter, position,  and  aims  of  the  missionaries. 

receive  any  injury  at  the  time  of  the  murder.  Nothing  was  taken 
from  her  personally,  and  no  violence  was  offered  her.  Missionary 
Herald,  1863,  p.  143. 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     195 

Scarcely  a  year  had  elapsed,  since  Mr.  Coffing'  had 
fallen  by  the  hands  of  assassins  in  Central  Turkey ; 
and  who  can  tell  how  much  the  punishment  inflicted 
on  the  murderers  of  these  missionaries,  has  contrib- 
uted to  the  safety  of  their  brethren,  or  how  much  it 
will  be  instrumental  in  preventing  future  massacres 
of  native  Christians,  as  well  as  missionaries,  by 
fanatical  Mohammedans. 

The  Rev.  Henry  C.  Haskell  and  wife  joined  the 

mission  in  the  autumn  of  1862,  and  assisted  Further  en- 
largement of 
Mr.  Morse    in  forming   a   new  station  at  the  mission. 

Sophia,  about  four  days'  journey  northwest  of  Phil- 
ippopolis.  In  the  following  year.  Miss  Mary  E. 
Reynolds  took  charge  of  a  school  for  girls  ^^^^^  ^^^ 
at  Eski  Zagra,  which  had  been  successfully  ^^' 
commenced  by  a  young  woman  from  Catholic  Bohe- 
mia, who  spoke  the  Bulgarian  like  a  native,  and  g'ave 
good  evidence  of  piety.  The  school  was  designed 
for  the  education  of  female  teachers.  The  health  of 
Mrs.  Crane  obliged  her  and  her  husband  to  return 
home,  and  ask  for  a  release  from  their  connection 
with  the  Board.  Adrianople  was  thus  left,  for  a 
time,  without  a  missionary.  The  death  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Meriam  stirred  up  several  young  men  in  the 
school  at  Philippopolis  who  became  active  and  suc- 
cessful colporters  in  the  surrounding  villages.  Many 
of  the  people  in  Sophia  were  found  to  possess  the 
Scriptures,  and  a  considerable  number  were  known 
to  read  them  with  interest ;  but  as  soon  as  the  fact 


196     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

became  known  to  their  acquaintance,  they  were 
subjected  to  persecution. 

At  Samokov,  a  pleasant  town  nine  hours  to  the 
New  station  southcast  of  Sophia,  with  a  Bulgarian  pop- 
atsa^nokoT.  ui^tioD  of  tcu  thousaud,  thcrc  were  en- 
couraging indications,  and  that  place  proving  to  be 
more  healthful  and  a  better  centre  than  Sophia,  the 
station  was  removed  thither  in  1869. 

In  1863,  the  missionaries  of  the  American  Board 
and  the  Methodists  working  in   this  field 

Results  of  a  '^ 

Beneraimis-    \^Q[f\  ^  meeting  at  Eski  Zagra,  for  cultivat- 

Bionary  con-  O  o       ' 

ference.  j^^^  ^^iQ  friendly  relations  already  existing 
between  them.  Dr.  Wood  and  Mr.  Isaac  G.  Bliss 
were  present  from  the  Armenian  Mission.  They 
found  themselves  in  substantial  agreement  as  to  the 
methods  of  missionary  labor,  and  also  as  to  the  na- 
ture of  the  field.  "  While  some  facts  of  a  more  or 
less  hopeful  nature,"  writes  Mr.  Byington,  "were 
reported,  the  general  feeling  seemed  to  be,  that  the 
Bulgarians  were  a  very  different  people  from  what 
they  were  supposed  to  be,  six  or  eight  years  ago,  and 
that  in  our  efforts  for  their  good,  patience  must  have 
her  perfect  work.  They  cannot  be  said  to  be  a  par- 
ticularly depraved  people ;  they  are  not  probably  ad- 
dicted to  the  grosser  sins  in  any  unusual  degree ;  but 
there  seems  to  be  among  them  a  great  want  of  im- 
pressibility. When  the  truth  is  presented,  they  at 
once  assent  to  it,  but  without  any  apparent  impres- 
sion on  the  heart.     The  brethren  generally  spoke  of 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.    197 

the  pleasant  social  intercourse  which  they  enjoyed 
with  the  people,  but  upon  religious  matters  a  very 
paiuful  indifference  was  manifested." 

One  great  obstacle  to  the  reception  of  evangelical 
truth  among  the  Bulgarians,  was  the  at-  ^^^  ^^.^^^ 
tachmeut  of  all  classes  to  their  national  °^^'*°^^ 
unity.  The  same  had  been  found  among  the  Ar- 
menians and  Greeks.  Men  objected  to  the  examina- 
tion of  evangelical  doctrines,  lest  the  result  should 
be  a  schism  in  the  nation  ;  not  being  able  to  see 
how  a  change  in  religious  belief  could  consist  with 
national  loyalty.  Yet,  though  the  progress  of  the 
work  had  not  equaled  the  expectations  awakened 
at  the  outset,  it  was  obvious  that  increasing  ac- 
quaintance with  the  missionaries  was  perceptibly 
removing  prejudice.  The  conviction  was  gig^s^f 
gaining  strength  with  many,  not  only  that  P'^^^ress. 
Protestants  had  a  Christian  faith,  but  that  it  was 
purer  than  their  own.  The  girls'  school  at  Eski 
Zagra  had  thirty  pupils  in  regular  attendance,  and 
a  score  of  applicants  were  refused  for  want  of  room. 
Mr.  Clarke  having  been  overworked,  it  was  necessary 
to  secure  aid  for  him,  and  Mr.  Haskell  removed  to 
Philippopolis.  Mr.  Ball,  after  a  long  detention  at 
home  by  the  decline  of  his  wife's  health,  unexpected 
joined  the  Adrianople  station  in  1865.  ^'°'^'"^<=«- 
Some  new  prejudice  against  the  missionaries  was 
now  created  by  accusations  transferred  from  English 
newspapers,  made  in  defense  of  the  intolerance  of 


198     3IISSI0NS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

the  Turkish  authorities,  and  of  what  certainly  seemed 
an  unfriendly  policy  in  Sir  Henry  Bulwer,  the  Eng- 
lish Ambassador. 

But  the  school  for  young  men  at  Philippopolis, 

Popularity  of  ^^^  ^^^^  ^®^'  S^^'^^  ^^  -^^^^  Zagra,  conciliated 
the  schools,    f^^^j,^     rpj^^   former   had   fourteen    pupils, 

who  made  good  improvement  in  mental  and  moral 
character,  and  manifested  a  good  degree  of  religious 
feeling,  a  spirit  of  benevolence,  and  a  readiness  to 
labor  for  the  good  of  others.  During  vacation,  six 
of  them  were  employed  as  colporters.  Nearly  all 
the  older  students  seemed  ready  to  take  their  stand 
on  the  Bible,  and  did  not  fear  the  name  of  Protes- 
tant. The  girls'  school  numbered  about  thirty 
pupils,  whose  progress  in  study  had  been  gratifying, 
and  there  had  often  been  deep  feeling  under  relig- 
ious instruction.  Members  of  the  common  council 
of  the  town,  and  others  who  witnessed  an  examina- 
tion of  the  school,  sent  to  Mr.  Byington  a  letter  of 
thanks,  and  assured  him  that  the  missionaries  would 
yet  be  recognized  by  the  Bulgarians  as  benefactors 
of  their  nation. 

The  people  could  not,  as  yet,  be  drawn,  in  any 
numbers,  to  attend  the  regular  religious 

The  people  '  o  o 

bretopTeach-  scrviccs  of  the  missionaries.  They  were 
'°^  banded  together  against  receiving  spiritual 

truth.  Still  something  could  be  done  by  personal 
conversations  and  the  circulation  of  books  and  tracts. 
Touring  in  the  villages  was  often  attended  with  en- 
couragement. 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     199 

The  year  1867  was  one  of  peculiar  promise.     The 
moral  stupor,  which  for  so  many  years  had  Appearance 

ofawakening 

taxed  the  faith  of  the  mission,  seemed  to  interest. 
be  yielding  to  the  awakening  power  of  the  Word  of 
God,  and  Gospel  truth  was  not  only  better  appre- 
hended by  the  intellect,  but  also  was  impressing  the 
heart  and  conscience.  Though  the  awakening  was 
neither  as  extensive,  or  thorough,  or  spiritual  as  was 
desired,  it  was  real,  and  indicated  the  entering  upon 
a  new  stage  of  the  work. 

Miss  Roseltha  A.  Norcross  became  the  associate  of 
Miss  Reynolds  in  the  school  at  Eski  Zaa^ra.  Giris'  school 

•^  °  at  Eski 

The  arrival  of  a  new  teacher  and  many  ap-  zagra. 
plications  for  admission,  led  to  an  enlargement  of 
the  school.  Two  sisters,  however,  who  were  among 
the  most  interesting  pupils,  were  called  to  severe 
trials.  One  of  them  left  in  1866,  but  the  other  re- 
mained, and  was  the  best  scholar  in  the  school. 
Both  possessed  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and 
amiability,  and  for  more  than  two  years  had  been 
heartily  devoted  to  Christ.     "  The  younger  who  had 

left  the  school,"  says  the  report  of  the  mis-  cases  of  do- 
mestic perse- 
sion,  "  was  taken,  a  few  days  since,  into  a  cutioa. 

room  where  many  of  her  relatives  and  a  priest  had 

assembled,  to  extort  from  her  a  renunciation  of  her 

faith,  and  was  told  that  she  would  either  have   to 

give  up,  or  die ;  that  they  would  give  her  no  peace 

so  long  as  she  persisted  in  her  present  course.     But 

the  Lord  sustained  her.     They  resorted  to  entreaty. 


200     MISSIONS  TO  -THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

aud  besought  her  merely  to  make  the  sign  of  sub- 
mission, telling  her  that  she  need  not  in  her  heart 
change  her  belief.  But  their  seductions  were  as 
unavailing  as  their  threats.  It  is  more  than  a  year 
since  she  left  the  school,  and  though,  during  this 
time,  her  closet,  her  Bible,  and  the  conversation  of 
her  sister  have  been  her  only  means  of  grace,  it  is 
evident  that,  in  the  midst  of  this  wearing  domestic 
persecution,  a  Christian  character  of  unusual  loveli- 
ness is  being  developed.  She  is  as  frail  as  a  lily,  but 
the  strength  of  the  Lord  rests  upon  her." 

Another  case  was  that  of  a  pupil  who  had  left 
a  year  and  a  half  before,  to  teach  a  Bulgarian 
school.  "  Unaided,"  says  the  mission,  "  except  from 
on  high,  she  has  fought  a  good  fight  during  the  past 
year.  The  parents  of  her  pupils  complain  because 
she  will  not  conform  to  the  rites  of  their  Church,  but 
the  trustees  of  the  school,  not  wishing  to  lose  her 
services,  have  been  wise  enough  not  to  make  con- 
formity a  condition  of  remaining  in  their  service. 
Her  parents  have  forbidden  her  visiting  the  mission- 
ary premises,  but  they  have  not  been  able  to  separate 
her  from  her  Lord,  nor  to  prevent  her  laboring  for 
the  spiritual  good  of  her  pupils.  Although  she  has 
been  occupying,  for  more  than  a  year,  a  position 
beset  with  temptations,  and  has  been  in  a  great  de- 
gree deprived  of  the  sympathy  and  advice  of  Chris- 
tian friends,  we  still  hear  from  her  that  she  is  kept 
by  the  power  of  God." 


THE  BULGARIANS  IN  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.     201 

The  mission  suffered  a  most  serious  loss  iu  the 
return  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Byiuffton  to  their  a  serious 

loss  to  the 

native  land,  in  consequence  of  the  failing  mission. 
health  of  the  latter. 

The  great  complaint  of  the  missionaries  had  been 
of  the  indifference  of  the  people.  But  after  ^.g.^^  ^^ 
the  departure  of  Mr.  Byington,  there  was  ^^i^^'^p'''^'^- 
no  ground  for  this  at  Eski  Zagra.  False  reports  were 
circulated  with  such  effect,  that  the  day-scholars 
were  taken  from  the  school,  and  the  boarding-school 
was  reassembled  with  difficulty.  The  oldest  assist- 
ant teacher  was  forcibly  abducted,  but  escaped  and 
returned.  A  mob  soon  gathered,  broke  open  an  outer 
door,  cut  away  some  of  the  bars  to  the  windows,  and 
broke  sixty  panes  of  glass  with  stones.  The  propri- 
etor of  the  house  now  sent  for  the  police,  which  dis- 
persed the  rioters.  Such  outrages  could  not  be  al- 
lowed, and  representations  were  made  to  Mr.  Morris, 
the  American  Minister  at  Constantinople,  j-sectuai  in- 
and  to  Mr.  Blunt,  the  friendly  English  Con-  *«"^^«'»«°'''- 
sul  at  Adrianople.  Their  prompt  efforts  were  effect- 
ual. More  than  a  score  of  the  offenders  were  sen- 
tenced to  imprisonment  of  different  lengths,  but  were 
pardoned  at  the  request  of  the  missionaries.  This 
act  of  clemency  had  a  happy  influence  on  the  people, 
and  the  persecution  had  a  good  effect  on  the  school. 

A  young  man  who  had  been  for  five  years  a  student 
at  Philii)popolis,  was  licensed  to  preach  the 

^  ^     ^  '  '  Public  cele- 

gospel  on  the  24th  of  July ;  and   on  the  ^hfLordl 
following  Sabbath,  ten  Bulgarians,  six  of 


202      MISSIONS  TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

whom  were  girls  in  the  school,  sat  down  at  the  Lord's 
table,  ill  the  presence  of  forty  spectators.  This  was 
Its  Bigniti-  ^^^^  more  significant,  as  the  Bulgarian 
caace.  council,  a  mouth  before,  had  enjoined  upon 

the  different  "trades"  of  the  city  and  neighboring 
villages,  to  have  no  dealings  with  two  individuals 
whose  names  and  places  of  business  were  specified, 
nor  with  any  others  who  were  known  as  inclined  to 
Protestantism.  Such  persons  were  therefore  refused 
bread,  or  the  right  of  baking  at  the  public  ovens, 
and  some  were  reduced  to  great  distress.  The  mis- 
sionaries talked  seriously  with  the  leading  men  of 
the  city  in  favor  of  religious /ree(lo?/j,,  but  only  a  few 
of  them  conversed  reasonably  on  the  subject,  and  the 
masses  were  wholly  opposed  to  it.  Three  men,  as  a 
means  of  asserting  their  religious  liberty,  went  be- 
fore the  Turkish  authorities  and  declared  themselves 
Protestants,  which  seemed  to  be  the  beginning  of  a 
Protestant  Bulgarian  community.  The  missionaries 
were  sometimes  threatened  with  personal  violence,  but 
the  Turkish  government  was  ready  to  defend  them. 

In  January,  1869,  four  Bulgarians  were  admitted 
to  the  communion  at  Eski  Zagra,  two  of  them  pupils 
in  the  school,  and  two  married  men.  The  number 
of  Bulgarian  communicants  in  that  place  was  now 
eleven. 

The  mission  was  strengthened,  in  1868,  by  the 
=.!„„    arrival   of  Messrs.    Lewis   Bond,   William 

New  mission-  ' 

"ries.  Edwin   Locke,  and   Henry  Pitt   Page,  all 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.    203 

ordained  missionaries,  and  their  wives.  Mr.  Bond 
was  stationed  at  Eski  Zagra,  and  Miss  Esther  P. 
Maltbie  came  thither  as  a  teacher  in  1870.  Mr.  Has- 
kell welcomed  the  arrival,  at  Philippopolis,  of  Miss 
Minnie  C.  Beach,  in  1869,  and  Messrs.  Locke  and 
Page  commenced  a  new  station,  before  noticed,  at 
Samokov,  in  ancient  Macedonia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ball 
of  Adrianople  and  Miss  Reynolds  of  Eski  Zagra 
found  it  necessary  to  return  to  the  United  States  on 
account  of  their  health ;  and  it  soon  appeared  that 
it  was  too  late  for  them  to  recover.  Mr.  Death  of  Mr 
Ball  died  at  Grand  Rapids,  Wisconsin,  June  ^^"" 
6,  1870,  after  a  useful  connection  of  seventeen  years 
with  the  missionary  work,  and  Miss  Rey-  DeathofMiss 
nolds,  at  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  June  ^^y^'"''^^- 
1,  1871,  just  eight  years  from  the  day  of  her  sail- 
ing for  Turkey,  and  after  a  life  of  singular  devoted- 
ness  and  success.^ 

Previous  to  the  year  1870,  the  missionaries  to  the 
Bulgarians  had  sustained  a  nominal  rela-  connection 

TXT  k  .  -n/r.        •  ^'*^  *'*®  *'^" 

tion   to   the    Western  Armenian  Mission,  menian  Mis- 
sion dis- 
This  connection  was  now  dissolved,  and  the  soi^<^<i- 

associated  brethren  took  the  name  of  the  European 

Turkey  Mission.     Its  stations  were  Eski  The  mission 

as  thus  con- 

Zagra,  Philippopolis,  Samokov,  and  Adrian-  stituted. 
ople  ;  and  Dr.  Riggs  was  reckoned  as  a  member  of 
it,  though  he  continued  to  reside  in  Constantinople, 
his  labors   being  chiefly  for  the  Bulgarians.     The 

1  See  Missionarij  Herald,  1871,  p.  247. 


204    3nSSI0NS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Rev.  Heury  A.  Scliauffler,  theu  iu  the  United  States, 
was  also  transferred  from  the  Western  Turkey  Mis- 
sion, and  was  expected,  on  his  return  to  the  field,  to 
go  to  Philippopolis,  where  he  would  use  the  Turkish 
and  Greek  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  spoke  these 
languages ;  and  with  the  expectation  that  the  work 
among  the  Bulgarians  would  everywhere  connect 
itself,  as  soon  as  possible,  with  that  of  the  large 
Mohammedan  and  Greek  population,  with  whom 
they  were  intermingled. 

The  Sultan,  having  confirmed  the  appointment  of 
TheBuiga-    Bisliop  Authimas,  of  Widdin,  to  be  Exarch 

rians  ecclesi- 
astically free,  of  Bulgaria,  the  Bulgarians  thus  virtu- 
ally acquired  their  ecclesiastical  independence,  and 
First  effect  ^^  botli  tlicir  uatioual  spirit  and  their 
of  this.  unwillingness  to  allow  Protestantism  to 
come  iu  as  an  element  of  apprehended  division, 
acquired  strength.  Few  were  yet  able  to  see  how 
one  could  be  both  a  Bulgarian  and  a  Protestant, 
and  no  general  movement  on  the  part  of  rulers 
and  ecclesiastics  towards  Protestantism,  was  to  be 
Promising  Gxpectcd.  But  the  Scriptures  and  evangel- 
events.  j^^|  pyblicatious  wcrc  extensively  circu- 
lated. Thoughtful  minds  were  reached,  and  exam- 
ples of  what  the  Gospel  could  do  to  regenerate 
character  and  give  peace  to  troubled  spirits  were  be- 
ginning to  attract  attention.  There  was  not  such 
liberty  to  persecute  as  there  had  been  in  Asiatic 
Turkey.     Truth  was  gaining  a  hold  iu  cities  and 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.    205 

villages.  The  girls'  school  at  Eski  Zagra,  under 
Miss  Norcross,  numbering-  twenty-six  pupils,  con- 
tained several  who  gave  evidence  of  spiritual  re- 
newal, and  applications  for  teachers  had  come  from 
several  towns  and  villages,  accompanied  by  com- 
paratively liberal  subscriptions  for  their  support. 
The  hope,  at  Philippopolis,  of  getting  helpers  from 
the  high  school  for  young  men,  had  been  much  dis- 
appointed, but  some  of  its  pupils  were  doing  good. 
An  influential  merchant  in  Samokov  was  an  active 
convert,  and  there  was  much  to  encourage  in  that 
region. 

Early  in  the  autumn  of  1870,  Miss  Norcross  sick- 
ened, and  on  the  4th  of  November  died,  ^ ..   „„. 

'  '    Death  of  Miss 

greatly  to  the  grief  of  her  pupils  and  of  n°''"°^^- 
the  whole  mission. ^     Miss  Maltbie  arrived  in  less 
than  a  month  after  she  had  passed  away.     It  was 
soon  resolved  to  remove  the  school  to  Sam-  Removal  of 

the  school  to 

okov,  as  a  more  healthful  place,  and  more  samokor. 
eligible  on  other  accounts.  A  regular  Sabbath  ser- 
vice was  held  at  this  station,  and  a  weekly  prayer- 
meeting.  The  audiences  were  very  small,  and  but 
five  persons  were  deemed  worthy  to  be  received  to 
church  fellowship.  At  the  out- stations,  though 
there  had  been  no  striking  success,  there  were 
everywhere  signs  of  an  advance.     The  na-  Promising 

out-station 

tive  helper  in  the  beautiful  town  of  Bansko  at  Bansko. 
had  a  school  of  twenty-two  pupils,  and  a  congrega- 

1  See  Missionary  Herald,  1871,  p.  53. 


206      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

tioii  of  sixty-five,  and  the  little  company  contributed 
to  Christian  objects,  during  the  year,  nearly  two 
hundred  dollars,  including  the  purchase  of  a  site  for 
a  house  of  worship.  The  cause  was  greatly  advanced 
by  the  labors  of  an  earnest  and  devoted  Bible- 
woman,  whom  the  women  of  Bansko  helped  to  sup- 
port. 

Bansko  will  have  the  ecclesiastical  distinction, 
A  church  or-  hereafter,  of  being  the  place  where  the  first 
gamzed.  evaugclical  Bulgarian  church  was  formed, 
and  fully  organized.  This  was  in  August,  1871. 
The  candidates  were  fifteen,  nine  men,  and  six 
women.  In  accordance  with  a  written  invitation 
from  the  people,  Messrs.  Locke,  Bond,  and  Page 
started  on  Tuesday,  August  22d,  and  went  by  a 
circuitous,  though  a  pleasant,  picturesque  and  easy 
route,  passing  through  two  cities,  where  they  found 
several  who  were  examining  the  truth,  and  reached 
their  place  of  destination  on  the  24th.  The  breth- 
ren at  Bansko  had  arranged  liberally  for  the  breth- 
ren and  their  horses,  at  their  own  houses,  and  gave 
them  a  hearty  welcome.  The  candidates  for  church- 
membership  were  all  examined,  and  answered  the 
questions  put  to  them  more  clearly  than  the  mis- 
sionaries had  thought  possible,  considering  the  ad- 
vantages they  had  enjoyed.  The  candidate  for  or- 
dination as  pastor,  Mr.  Evansko  Touzorve,  was 
examined  on  Saturday  afternoon.  He  had  been 
preaching   there  as  a  helper   of  the   mission,  and 


THE  BULGARIANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.    207 

the  examination  was  quite  satisfactory,  especially  on 
the  evidences  of  Christianity,  just  then  a  subject  of 
special  importance  in  that  field,  owing  to  the  influx 
of  German  and  French  infidelity. 

Sabbath,  August  27th,  was  devoted  to  the  organ- 
ization of  the  church,  and  the  ordination  of  the 
j)astor.  A  deacon  had  been  previously  chosen.  The 
service  was  concluded  with  the  Lord's  Supper.  The 
people  were  to  have  the  services  of  the  pastor  eight 
mouths  in  the  year,  and  to  pay  half  his  salary  for 
that  time,  and  the  mission  was  to  employ  him  the 
other  four  months  in  another  part  of  the  field. 
The  new  church  could  not  then  pay  more  towards 
the  salary,  having  bought  a  lot  of  laud,  on  which  to 
build  a  church.  The  little  flock  was  jubilant  and  of 
good  courage.  "  What  a  contrast,"  exclaims  the 
missionary,  "  between  this  state  of  things,  and  that 
two  years  ago,  when  the  people  seized  our  horses, 
and  drove  us  from  the  village !  " 

One  of  the  most  important  results  of  the  mission 
to  the  Bulgarians,  has  doubtless  been  the  Translations 
translation  of  the  whole  Bible  into  their  °f*'^'«»'We. 
present  spoken  language.^  This  was  published  for 
the  first  time,  in  the  year  1871.  "Methodius  and 
Cyril,  who  first  preached  the  gospel  to  the  Bulga- 
rians a  thousand  years  ago,  gave  them  the  Scriptures 
in  their  then  spoken  language,  the  Slavic.    But  this 

1  See  Dr.  Riggs'  statement  in  the  Missionary  Herald,  for  1872,  pp. 
76-79. 


208     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

ancient  tongue,  the  mother  of  the  modern  Russian, 
Bulgarian,  Servian,  Polish,  Illyriau,  etc.,  has  long 
since  ceased  to  be  the  vernacular  of  any  of  the  na- 
tions. Hence  the  necessity  of  new  translations  of 
the  Word  of  God  in  all  these  dialects."  One  of  the 
earliest  results  of  the  waking  up  of  the  Bulgarian 
people,  was  a  translation  of  the  four  Gospels  by 
Messrs.  Seraphim  of  Eski  Zagra,  and  Sapoonoff  of 
Trevua,  published  at  Bucharest  in  1828.  The  first 
edition  of  the  whole  New  Testament  in  Bulgarian 
was  issued  at  Smyrna,  in  1840,  at  the  expense  of  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society ;  but  the  literary 
labor  was  performed  by  a  Bulgarian,  the  Rev.  Ne- 
ophytus  P.  Petroff,  of  Rila,  with  the  aid  of  Hilarion, 
the  Metropolitan  Bishop  of  Ternovo.  This  edition 
was  well  received,  and  sold  rapidly.  It  was  faithfully, 
carefully,  and  ably  prepared. 

The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  published 
seven  editions  of  this  Testament,  or  about  forty 
thousand  copies,  and  authorized  the  preparation  of  a 
translation  of  the  Old  Testament.  Mr.  Constantine 
Photinoff,  of  Smyrna,  to  whom  this  work  was  com- 
mitted, just  lived  to  complete  the  first  draft  of  a 
translation  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  died  in  1858, 
only  a  few  days  after  having  removed  from  Smyrna 
to  Constantinople,  in  order  to  revise  it  for  publica- 
tion, with  Dr.  Riggs. 

Meanwhile  a  rapid  change  had  been  going  on  in 
the  Bulgarian  language,  and  it  had  become  manifest 


THE  BULGAPdANS  OF  EUROPEAN  TURKEY.    20G 

that  the  work  must  have  a  thorough  revision.  The 
trauslatious  of  both  the  Old  aud  New  Testaments  had 
beeu  made  iu  the  Western,  or  Macedonian  dialect  j 
but  the  Eastern,  or  Slavic,  was  now  taking  the  lead, 
and  the  language  was  evidently  to  be  mainly  moulded 
after  that  model. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact,  stated  by  Dr.  Riggs,  that 
the  government  censor  for  Bulgarian  publications 
called  on  him,  the  day  after  Mr.  Photinoff' s  death, 
and  expressed  his  hearty  interest  in  the  work  of 
translating  the  Scriptures,  and  his  hope  that  it  would 
not  be  delayed. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  work.  Dr.  Riggs  was 
aided  by  two  of  the  best  Bulgarian  scholars,  the  one 
trained  in  the  use  of  the  Western,  and  the  other  of 
the  Eastern  dialect.  In  the  revision  of  the  New 
Testament,  he  was  also  9,ided  by  the  Rev.  A.  L.  Long, 
D.  D.,  of  the  Methodist  Bulgarian  mission.  With 
such  assistance,  it  is  believed  that  this  translation 
of  the  Bible  will  become  a  standard  work.  The  first 
edition  was  printed  in  an  imperial  octavo  volume  of 
one  thousand  and  sixty  pages,  with  the  references 
of  our  English  Bible,  which  will  be  of  special  value 
to  a  people  having  as  yet  no  Concordances,  Bible 
Dictionaries,  or  Commentaries.  Dr.  Riggs  brought 
to  the  annual  meeting  of  the  newly  organized  mis- 
sion, in  1871,  the  first  copy  received  from  the 
binders. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  only  preliminary 


210  MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

work  has  been  done  as  yet  in  this  most  inviting  field. 
The  mission  Scarcelj  foui'teeu  years  have  elapsed  since 
preiSiinary  the  field  was  first  explored,  and  only  twelve 
since  stations  began  to  be  occupied.  It  is 
not  time  to  expect  any  other  results  than  first  fruits. 
Now  ready     The  missionarics  have  become  thoroughly 

to  move  for- 

^ar<i-  acquainted  with  the  field,  with  its  wants, 

and  its  strategetic  points,  and  are  ready  to  move 
forward  as  fast  as  they  shall  receive  the  needful  aid. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE   AEMENIANS. 
1861-1863. 

Dk.  Dwight  having  completed  his  eastern  tour, 
visited  the  United  States,  where  he  arrived  „  r.  ■  r.., 

'  Dr.  Dwight'8 

in  November,  1861.    It  was  arranged,  that  CLd""" 
he  should  prepare  and  publish  the  results  ^*^^' 
of  his  extended  missionary  observations.     But  the 
Head  of  the  Church  had  ordered  otherwise.     On 
Saturday,  January  25,  1862,  while  passing  Hissuaden 
in  the  cars  through  Shaftsbury,  Vermont,  '^®**'^" 
on  his  way  to  spend  a  Sabbath  at  Middlebury  Col- 
lege, "  the  stormy  wind,  fulfilling  His  word,"  lifted 
the  car  from  off  the  rails,  and  tossed  it  down  a  steep 
embankment ;  and  one  of  the  heavy  trucks,  follow- 
ing and  dashing  through  it,  at  once  set  free  the 
sanctified  spirit  of  our  brother,  and  gave  him  a  sort 
of  translation  to  the  regions  of  the  blessed.     It  was 
a  sudden  and  unexpected  close  of  a  most  useful  life. 
Dr.  Dwight  was  born  at  Conway,  Massachusetts, 
on  the  22d  of  November,  1803.    His  family  ^^^^^^^ 
removed  to  Utica,  New  York,  and  there,  at  •='^"'^"*'*''- 
the  age  of  fifteen,  he  was  hopefully  converted  dur- 


212      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

iug-  a  revival  of  religion,  and  united  with  a  Presby- 
terian church.  He  graduated  at  Hamilton  College 
in  1825,  and,  while  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Andover,  became  deeply  interested  in  the  mission- 
ary work,  and  took  great  pains,  along  with  some  fel- 
low-students, to  illustrate  the  beginning  of  foreign 
missions  from  the  United  States.  In  his  last  year 
at  the  Seminary  he  offered  himself  to  the  American 
Board,  and  was  appointed  one  of  its  missionaries. 
After  completing  his  studies,  he  entered  upon  an 
agency  for  the  Board,  which  continued  until  1829. 
From  this  time,  through  more  than  thirty  years, 
the  events  of  his  life  form  an  important  part  of  the 
history  of  the  mission  to  the  Armenians.  That 
mission  grew,  in  his  time,  from  a  single  station  at 
Constantinople  to  twenty-three  stations,  and  eighty- 
one  out-stations,  extending  over  the  greater  part  of 
Western  Asia ;  and  whereas,  at  the  commencement 
of  his  labors,  he  did  not  know  of  a  single  convert  in 
the  whole  country,  at  their  close,  there  were  forty- 
two  churches,  with  sixteen  hundred  members,  twelve 
ordained  native  pastors,  forty-three  licensed  native 
preachers,  thirty-four  catechists,  fifty-five  teachers, 
and  thirty-nine  other  helpers. 

He  was  made  to  be  a  leader  in  the  Lord's  host. 
There  was  in  him  a  rare  combination  of  sound  com- 
mon sense,  piety,  resolution,  firmness,  candor,  and 
courtesy,  and  withal  an  honest  simplicity,  a  godly 
sincerity,  and  a  practical  tact,  that  seldom  failed  to 


THE  ARMENIANS.  213 

secure  for  him  a  commaudiug  influence;  and  the 
mission,  of  which  lie  was  so  long  a  member,  was 
suflficiently  eventful  to  give  full  exercise  to  all  his 
powers. 

It  affords  much  pleasure  to  the  writer,  that  he  is 
unable  to  recall  an  instance,  in  all  the  thirty  years, 
where  Dr.  Dwight's  opinions  were  seriously  at  vari- 
ance with  those  of  the  Committee  and  Secretaries  of 
the  Board.  It  may  be  that,  under  the  influence  of 
a  more  extended  correspondence,  there  was  some- 
times greater  progress  in  their  opinions  on  questions 
of  missionary  experience,  than  in  his;  but  tlrere 
was  never  any  collision  of  thought ;  and  it  was  most 
gratifying,  on  his  arrival  in  this  country,  after  his 
instructive  and  interesting  tour  of  observation 
among  the  missions  and  mission  churches,  to  find 
this  eminent  servant  of  Christ  in  full  accord  with 
his  Committee  on  all  the  great  points- of  missionary 
practice.  The  prominent  trait,  however,  in  his 
character  was  spirituality.  This  was  in  him  an 
ever-growing  quality.  From  day  to  day,  from  month 
to  month,  from  the  commencement  of  his  mission- 
ary life  until  his  death,  he  was  wholly  devoted  to  the 
kingdom  and  glory  of  his  Redeemer.  He  walked 
with  God,  and  was  not,  for  God  took  him. 

It  will  be  appropriate,  at  this  stage  of  the  history, 
to  quote  some  of  the  views  of  Dr.  Dvvight  ms  Tiews  on 

,      .  ,.  -mi  j^i  missionary 

on   missionary  policy  in  Turkey,  as   they  po"cy. 
were  embodied  in  a  circular  letter  to  the  brethren 


214     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

of  his  owu  mission,  and  substantially  communicated 
to  the  Secretaries  in  their  personal  intercourse  with 
him  just  before  his  lamented  death.  Coming  from 
such  a  man,  after  so  long"  and  varied  an  experience, 
they  deserve  thoughtful  attention.  He  speaks  first 
of  the  education  of  a  native  ministry. 

"  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  we  have  made  our 
education  at  the  Bebek  Seminary  too  comprehensive, 
considering  the  actual  circumstances  and  wants  of 
the  people.  True,  our  course  of  study  is  nothing 
compared  with  that  of  American  colleges  ;  but  it  is 
much,  compared  with  the  amount  of  education  ex- 
isting in  this  country  ;  and  it  seems  to  me  we  are  in 
danger  from  two  sources ;  namely,  first,  that  our 
native  preachers  will  be  educated  too  far  above  their 
people ;  and,  secondly,  that  they  will  require  much 
more  for  their  support,  in  consequence  of  their  edu- 
cation, than  their  people  can  give.  The  plan  of 
removing  the  Bebek  Seminary  to  the  interior,  strikes 
me  very  favorably." 

Again,  as  to  the  support  of  the  native  ministry : 
*'  I  think  it  very  evident,  that  the  past  system  is 
fraught  with  too  many  evils  to  be  continued.  I  would 
not  favor  any  sudden  change,  but  it  seems  to  me, 
that  the  experience  we  have  gained,  by  the  working 
of  the  past,  would  lead  us  to  begin  immediately  on  a 
new  plan  ;  and  the  providence  of  God,  in  restricting 
our  means,  is  giving  us  an  admirable  opportunity  for 
so  doing.    We  may  urge  with  great  weight  upon  the 


THE  ARMENIANS.  215 

churches  the  support  of  their  owu  pastors,  and  leave 
the  responsibility  there,  even  when  the  treasury  of 
the  Board  shall  he  relieved.  I  begin  to  question, 
whether  v^^e  ought  even  to  give  regular  aid  from  our 
funds,  for  the  support  of  settled  pastors,  or  even 
stated  supplies  of  churches  fully  organized.  Would 
it  not  simplify  our  relations  to  those  churches,  as 
well  as  call  forth  much  more  efficient  eifort  from 
themselves,  if  we  were  to  leave  them,  as  the  Apostles 
did  their  native  churches,  to  take  care  of  their  owu 
pastors,  after  such  have  been  ordained  ?  The  native 
churches  should  be  expected  and  encouraged  to  take, 
as  fast  as  possible,  the  work  of  evangelizing  sur- 
rounding districts  upon  themselves ;  and  it  will  be 
better  to  leave  them  to  choose  and  support  wholly 
their  own  laborers.  The  plan  of  having  such  men 
supported  partly  by  the  mission  and  partly  by  the 
native  churches,  does  not  work  well.  If  it  is  neces- 
sary for  the  mission  to  assist  the  churches  in  this 
work,  I  would  do  it  irregularly,  and  without  any 
pledges  as  to  the  amount  or  frequency  of  such  aid." 
These  views  had  been  already  exemplified,  sub- 
stantially, in  the  Central  mission ;  and  they  Exemplifica- 
tion of  these 

have  since  had  a  more  full  practical  de-  views. 
velopmeut  in  the  Eastern  mission ;  as  will  appear 
in  the  progress  of  the  history. 

It  was  not  found  easy  to  determine  the  number 
of  stations  or  of  missionaries  desirable  in  The  actual 

call  for- mis 

Eastern   or   Western    Turkey.     The   early  sionaries. 


216      AflSSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

theories  iu  relation  to  this  matter  have  been  consid- 
erably modified  by  experience.  It  was  natural  to 
suppose,  that  many  missionaries  could  labor  among 
the  million  of  people  in  Constantinople,  without  in- 
terfering with  each  other,  or  standing  in  the  way  of 
a  native  ministry.  And  so  they  might,  could  they 
at  once  have  access  to  a  considerable  part  of  the 
population.  But  this  was  not  true  in  fact,  either  as 
to  missionaries,  or  the  native  ministry.  It  has  been 
found,  that  it  results  iu  loss  to  place  more  preachers 
on  the  ground,  than  can  find  full  scope  for  their 
ministry.  Even  should  the  overcrowded  ministry  be 
of  the  same  denomination,  it  works  badly,  but  ftir 
worse  if  made  up  of  rival  sects.  For  a  time  at  least, 
all  must  operate  upon  nearly  the  same  persons.  In 
the  rural  districts,  the  missionaries  reside  iu  the 
centres  of  population,  and  generally  where  two  fam- 
ilies can  dwell  together,  and  where  each  missionary 
can  have  a  distiuct  field  of  labor.  But  even  there  it 
is  deemed  expedient  for  the  churches  to  have  native 
pastors ;  nor  there  alone.  The  aim  is  to  have  con- 
stellations of  churches  with  native  office-bearers, 
around  every  missionary  station.  Not  otherwise  can 
the  whole  country  be  permeated  by  evangelical  in- 
fluences. 

It  is  plain  that  in  a  work  so  unlike  anything  at 
The  discre-  ho^ie,  missiouarics  ought  to  have  large  dis- 
tomtslton-^'^  cretion  as  to  the  time  and  manner  of  or- 
^^*'  ganiziug  native  churches.    Nor,  since  these 


THE  ARMENIANS.  217 

infant  communities  are  only  partially  enlightened 
and  sanctified,  is  there  reason  for  discouragement 
should  they  sometimes  be  not  perfectly  harmonious 
with  their  missionary  fathers.  It  was  so  for  a  time 
with  oue  of  the  first  churches  formed  at  the  metrop- 
olis. The  missionaries  had  of  course  the  sole  re- 
sponsibility of  determining  what  use  should  be  made 
of  the  funds  remitted  by  the  Board.  But  the  pastor 
and  a  portion  of  the  church  thought  they  ought  to 
have  a  voice  in  their  disposal.  As  this  could  uot  be, 
dissatisfaction  arose,  and  complaints  were  publicly 
made  against  their  American  brethren.  But  these 
misunderstandings  have  in  good  measure  passed 
away.^ 

The  Western  Turkey  Mission  resolved,  in  1862,  to 
suspend  the  Bebek  Seminary,  with  the  ex-  TheBebek 

•    •  •  I        1    -» jr  mi  •       Seminary  to 

pectation  of  reviving  it  at  Marsovan.    This  be  removed 

■^  "^  ^  into  the  in- 

iustitution  was  commenced  by  Dr.  Hamlin,  t^rior. 
in  November,  1840.     It  was  a  boarding-school,  with 
a  course  of  study  believed  to  be  adapted  to 

Its  history. 

the  great  ends  of  the  mission,  and  soon  be- 
came a  very  efficient  means  of  gaining  access  to  the 
people.  Its  third  year,  ending  November,  1843,  was 
called  the  "  year  of  a  thousand  visits,"  because  so 
many  came  desirous  to  learn  the  religious  belief  of 
the  missionaries.  The  Principal  was  obliged  to  stop 
their  coming,  in  order  to  save  the  school ;  but  the 

1  See  Missionary  Herald,  1862,  p.  300,  1863,  p.  268  ;  and  Report  of 
the  Board  for  1871,  p.  23. 


218      MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

work  among  the  Armenians  then  received  an  im- 
pulse which  it  never  lost.  Dr.  Hamlin  continued  in 
charge  of  the  Seminary  till  the  year  1857  ;  aided,  at 
different  times,  by  most  of  his  brethren.  Messrs. 
Clark,  Bliss,  and  Pettibone,  had  charge  of  it  after- 
ward. The  building  at  Bebek,  which  had  been  some 
time  occupied  on  a  lease,  became  the  property  of  the 
Board  in  1849.  In  1853,  the  number  of  students 
was  fifty,  of  whom  fifteen  were  Greeks,  under  the 
instruction  mainly  of  Dr.  Riggs  ;  and  there  was  then 
a  theological  class  of  eleven  Armenians.  The  Greek 
department  was  suspended  in  1855.  The  students 
were  very  useful  as  evangelical  laborers  within  and 
around  Constantinople ;  and  not  a  few  of  the  grad- 
uates occupy,  and  have  occupied,  important  posts  of 
usefulness  in  difi'erent  parts  of  the  empire.  It  is  re- 
corded that,  in  1857,  sixty  applicants  were  rejected 
for  want  of  means  to  support  them  ;  and  it  was 
believed  that,  with  adequate  pecuniary  means,  one 
hundred  could  have  received  instruction  as  easily  as 
fifty. 

The  metropolis  was  not  found  the  best  place  to 
train  men  for  the  seclusion  and  small  salaries  of  in- 
terior pastorates ;  but  the  school  was  nevertheless 
a  most  important  instrument  for  good,  and  quite 
essential  in  the  early  progress  of  the  mission.  Of 
the  forty-five  students  in  the  five  years  from  1857  to 
1861,  for  which  the  Seminary  was  fairly  held  respon- 
sible, seven  were  preachers  at  the  opening  of  1862, 
and  thirteen  were  members  of  the  theological  class. 


THE   ARMENIANS.  219 

The  expediency  of  contiuuiug  the  Seminary  at  the 
metropolis,  had  been  discussed  in  the  mis-  ^^^  ^_ 
sion  for  several  years.  The  other  missions  °'°''^'^ 
preferred  training  their  native  ministry  within  their 
own  bounds ;  and  the  interior  stations  of  the  West- 
ern mission  had  strong  objections  to  sending  their 
pupils  to  be  educated  where  expensive  habits  were 
almost  necessarily  acquired. 

It  was  resolved,  in  the  same  year,  to  discontinue 
the  boarding-school  for  girls  at  Constanti-  The  board- 

.    ,  ,         ing-school 

nople,  with  the  expectation  of  reviving  it,  forgiris. 
also,  at  Marsovan.  It  was  commenced  in  1845.  The 
whole  number  of  pupils  had  been  one  hun-  itguagf^. 
dred  and  twenty-eight,  of  whom  one  half  ''^^^' 
became  members  of  the  church.  Eighty-three  were 
from  Constantinople  and  vicinity,  and  forty-five  from 
the  interior.  Thirty-seven  completed  the  course  of 
four  years.  Two  of  the  older  graduates  were  teachers 
of  self-supporting  schools  at  Nicomedia ;  another, 
whose  parents  lived  at  Trebizond,  taught  at  Marso- 
van ;  a  fourth,  since  married  to  a  graduate  of  the 
Bebek  seminary,  devoted  herself  to  teaching  the  girls 
in  a  day-school  at  Adabazar,  in  charge  of  the  native 
pastor ;  another  was  mistress  of  a  school  of  forty 
pupils  at  Baghchejuk  ;  and  still  another  had  a  school 
of  forty-five  girls  at  Diarbekir,  and  was  otherwise  a 
shining  light.  Five  were  wives  of  pastors,  —  at  Con- 
stantinople, Broosa,  Bilijik,  Harpoot,  and  Diarbekir ; 
three  of  preachers,  —  at  Nicomedia,  Bandurma,  and 


220    MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Aidiu ;  and  several  of  helpers  iu  different  places. 
The  school  was  located  successively  at  Pera,  Bebek, 
and  Hass-Keuy ;  and  its  teachers  were  Miss  Lovell, 
Mrs.  Everett,  and  the  two  Misses  West. 

The  summer  heat  at  Adaua  was  supposed  to  be 
^   ,    ,.       too  intense  for  the  health  of  a  missionary 

Exploration  •' 

rus^Moun"'  family.  Mr.  Coffing  was  therefore  com- 
missioned, by  his  brethren,  to  explore  the 
Taurus  Mountains,  west  and  north  of  Marash,  for  a 
suitable  summer  residence.  He  performed  this 
service  in  the  autumn  of  1860,  accompanied  by  Mrs. 
Coffing"  and  Deacon  Sarkis.  An  interesting  account 
of  the  tour  may  be  found  iu  the  "  Missionary 
Herald,"  for  I86I.1  Mr.  CoflBng  requested  permis- 
sion, on  his  return,  to  occupy  the  new  field,  and  left 
Aiutab,  with  his  family,  for  this  purpose,  in  July, 
1861 ;  intending  to  reside  at  Hadjin,  or  Nigdeh  in 
the  mountains  during  the  summer  heat,  and  in  the 
winter  at  Adana.  As  they  went  forth  from  Aintab, 
A  beautiful  nearly  the  whole  Protestant  population, 
^°^'*®"  about  fifteen  hundred,  stood  on  both  sides 

of  the  road  to  bid  them  farewell,  and  as  they 
passed,  sang,  — 

"  How  sweet  the  tie  that  binds 
Our  hearts  in  Christian  love  ; " 

and  also  an  original  hymn,  expressive  of  their  feel- 
ings on  parting  with  this  mission  family.  More 
than  a  hundred  persons  accompanied  them  during 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1861,  pp.  169,  170. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  221 

that  afternoon,  returning  the  next  day ;  and  mauy^ 
were  the  prayers  offered  for  them,  and  for  the  dark 
town  in  the  mountains  whither  they  went.  Their 
road  throug-h  or  rather  upon  the  Taurus  Mountains, 
was  difficult,  and  in  some  places  dangerous ;  but 
without  serious  accident  they  reached  Hadjin  on 
Saturday,  July  14th.  There  they  were  kindly  wel- 
comed by  the  people,  and  commenced  their  labors 
with  pleasant  prospects  of  success.  But,  after  a 
few  weeks,  the  Moslem  governor  and  the  Barbarous 

expulsion 

Armenian  priests  commenced  a  cruel  oppo-  from  Hadjin. 
sition,  scarcely  paralleled  in  the  missionary  experi- 
ences of  Turkey,  and  drove  them  from  the  place, 
with  much  loss  and  suffering.  Arriving  at  Adana, 
where  the  native  brethren  gave  them  a  kind  recep- 
tion, Mr.  Coffing  sought  redress  from  the  govern- 
ment, but  in  vain,  as  the  Pasha  was  unfriendly ;  and 
the  native  Protestants  of  that  city  were  subjected  to 
many  outrages  during  the  winter. 

After  six  mouths,  Mr.  Coffing  left  Adana  to  attend 
the  annual  meeting  of  his  mission  at  Alep-  Murder  of 
po,  going  by  way  of  Alexandretta.  The  ^^--coang. 
road  being  dangerous  around  the  head  of  the  gulf, 
he  took  a  guard  of  three  soldiers ;  but  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  route,  he  dismissed  two  of  them,  going 
on  with  the  other,  two  muleteers,  and  a  pious  Arme- 
nian servant.  When  three  miles  from  Alexandretta, 
he  was  fired  upon  by  two  men  concealed  in  a  thicket 
near  the  road.     Two  balls  struck  his  left  arm  above 


222      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

the  elbow,  shattering  the  bone  and  severing  an 
artery,  and  one  entered  the  body.  Though  severely 
wounded,  he  rode  on  two  miles  further ;  and  then,  from 
loss  of  blood,  sunk  down  upon  the  beach,  not  far  from 
Alexandretta,  and  sent  to  that  place  for  help.  It  was 
promptly  rendered  by  Mr.  Levi,  the  American  Vice 
Consul,  Arthur  Roby,  Esq.,  the  English  Vice  Con- 
sul, and  other  gentlemen,  and  the  fainting  mission- 
ary was  taken  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Levi,  where  he 
died  the  next  morning,  March  26th,  1862.  The 
Armenian  servant  died  four  days  later  from  his 
wounds,  and  another,  who  was  wounded,  recovered. 
Mr.  Johnson,  United  States  Consul  at  Beirut, 
took    energetic    measures,   in   connection 

Successful  ef-  °  ' 

JrehencT^he  ^^^^  ^^'-  ^oi'gau  at  Autioch,  for  appre- 
murderers.     i^g^^jju^  ^i^g    murdcrcrs.      They   had   the 

cooperation  not  only  of  the  gentlemen  above  men- 
tioned, but  also  of  Capt.  Hobart  of  H.  B.  Majesty's 
Ship  Foxhound,  Capt.  Simon,  of  the  French  Frig- 
ate Mogador,  and  Col.  A.  S.  Frazer,  H.  B.  M.  Com- 
missioner to  Syria.  The  Turkish  authorities  acted 
with  commendable  decision,  and  two  young  Moslem 
robbers  of  the  mountains,  to  whom  the  crime  was 
tracedj  were  finally  captured ;  though  one  of  them 
afterwards  escaped,  and  was  protected  by  the  Pasha 
One  of  them  ®^  ^^^  district.  The  other  was  executed  in 
executed.  September,  1862,  and  the  offending  Pasha 
was  removed  from  office.  Robbery  was  evidently  no 
object  with  the  assassins,  and  it  was  believed,  that 


THE  ARMENIANS.  223 

they  were  instigated  by  others.  The  hostile  Ar- 
meuiaus  of  Hadiiu  and  Adana  were,  for  a 

The  result. 

time,  under  great  apprehension,  and  were 
so  much  impressed  by  the  forbearance  of  Mr.  John- 
son and  Mr.  Morgan,  that  they  assured  the  latter 
of  their  readiness  to  receive  any  preacher  he  might 
choose  to  send  among  them.     The  sorely  Mrs.cofflng 

remains  in 

afflicted  widow  resolved  to  remain  in  the  the  mission. 
mission,  where  she  is  still  very  usefully  employed 
among  her  own  sex.  It  should  be  added,  that  this 
is  the  only  instance  in  the  history  of  the  Board,  in 
which  a  missionary  has  suffered  a  violent  death,  in- 
flicted because  he  was  a  missionary,  from  the  hands 
of  the  people  among  whom  he  labored. 

Dr.  Goodell  attended  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Central   mission  in  1862 ;    and  so   strong  Dr.  Goodeu's 

,  .       .  .  J 1      J     J 1  '    1        estimate  of 

were  his  impressions  that  the  appropriate  progress  in 

the  Central 

work  of  the  missionary  was  nearly  accom-  mission. 
plisbed  at  some  of  the  stations,  that  he  apprehended 
there  might  be  more  danger  of  the   missionary's 
staying  too  long,  than  that  he  would  go  too  soon. 

At  Aintab,  for  example,  he  found  the  church 
supporting  its  own  pastors  and  common  progress  at 
schools,  and  taking  upon  itself  the  supply  ^"^^'^■ 
of  nearly  all  its  out-stations.  No  appropriations 
were  asked  of  the  Board,  except  for  the  theological 
class,  the  female  boarding-school,  and  one  out-sta- 
tion ;  for  all  the  rest  the  church  provided.  For 
these  objects,  for  their  own  poor,  and  for  their  taxes 


224     MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

to  g-overumeiit,  the  sum  total  raised  by  the  Protes- 
tants, in  the  then  closing  year,  had  been  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  fifty-six  dollars,  averaging 
one  dollar  and  a  quarter  for  every  man,  woman,  and 
child  in  the  community.  The  congregation  being 
too  large  for  one  pastor,  arrangements  had  been 
made  to  form  a  second  church,  and  thus  to  have  two 
churches  instead  of  one.  The  theological  school 
was  on  the  point  of  being  removed  to  Marash,  and 
it  was  his  opinion  that,  were  it  not  for  the  female 
boarding- school,  which  would  probably  remaiu,  the 
missionaries  at  Aintab  should  be  preparing  to  with- 
draw from  that  place,  and  go  to  "  regions  beyond." 
While  he  deprecated  too  sudden  changes,  he 
thought  the  great  question  for  the  brethren  at  that 
station  was  :  "  How  can  we,  in  the  most  graceful 
manner,  set  up  in  life  this  first  born  child  of  ours, 
now  come  of  age,  and  ready  to  act  for  itself  ?  " 

Dr.  Goodell  speaks  of  Oorfa,  along  with  Aintab 
Progress  at  ^^^^  Marash,  as  advanced  in  Christian  knowl- 
°°''^^-  edge.    About  the  year  1851,  a  native  helper 

from  Aintab  spent  three  years  in  Oorfa,  working  at 
his  trade  as  a  weaver,  but  receiving  a  partial  support 
from  the  mission,  and  reading  and  explaining  the 
Scriptures  to  all  that  came.  Mr.  Schneider  visited 
this  place  in  1854 ;  a  church  was  organized  by  Dr. 
Pratt  in  December,  1855,  and  Mr.  Nutting  com- 
menced his  residence  there  in  1857.  Mr.  White 
was  also  there  a  year  or  more,  till  1859.    The  church 


THE  ARMENIANS.  225 

was  then  small,  aud  very  partially  sanctified.  The 
number  of  church-members,  in  1861,  was  fifteen^ 
and  nearly  all  the  members  were  active,  working 
Christians;  aud  the  real  progress  had  been  greater 
than  the  statistics  indicated.  Protestantism  had  be- 
come known,  and  was  exerting  a  good  influence.  The 
congregation  supported  three  schools,  containing 
ninety-four  pupils,  of  whom  thirty-one  were  from 
non-protestant  and  non-paying  parents,  and  thirty 
were  girls.  The  Oorfa  church  regarded  the  evan- 
gelization of  Germish,  a  neighboring  Armenian  vil- 
lage of  a  thousand  souls,  as  their  appropriate  work. 
The  report  of  the  Harpoot  station  for  1862  states, 
that  there  was  an  increasing  number  in  the  progress  at 
city,  and  at  nearly  all  the  fifteen  out-stations,  ^^''p°°*- 
who  gave  serious  attention  to  the  truth ;  and  that 
there  was  a  growing  agitation  among  those  who  kept 
aloof  from  the  preaching.  A  reform  party  among 
the  old  Armenians  was  rapidly  acquiring  influence ; 
and  to  satisfy  their  demands,  mid-day  Sabbath  ser- 
vices, for  expounding  the  Scriptures  in  the  modern 
tongue,  were  held  in  the  churches  of  several  villages. 
In  the  city,  the  party  had  formed  a  society  for  mutual 
improvement,  and  one  of  its  rules  was,  that  the  Bible 
should  be  read  in  all  their  meetings.  The  sale  of 
Bibles,  or  portions  of  it,  in  two  years,  exceeded  two 
thousand,  and  the  same  was  true  of  other  volumes. 
The  Theological  school  contained  thirty-  Theological 
nine  pupils,  —  twenty-one  in  the  first  classj  ''''^°°^' 


226     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

and  eig-hteen  in  the  second.  It  occupied  the  upper 
story  of  a  substantial  building,  erected  chiefly  by  the 
aid  of  friends  in  America;  while  the  lower  story 
furnished  a  neat  and  well  lighted  place  of  worship. 
Mr.  Wheeler  writes :  "  Supplied  as  it  is,  without 
expense  to  the  Board,  with  solar  reflectors  and  two 
neat  pulpit  lamps,  it  is  exerting  an  influence  for  good 
in  the  villages.  Already  the  people  of  three  villages 
have  covered  the  black  mud  walls  of  their  chapels 
with  a  neat  white  plaster,  and  four  villages  have 
each  purchased  one  of  the  '  wonderful  lamps,  by  the 
light  of  which  a  man  can  read  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  room.*  At  their  own  expense  they  are  also 
furnishing  their  places  of  worship  with  clocks,  and 
are  beginning  to  learn  that  (to  an  oriental)  very  dif- 
Giris' board-  ^cult  Icssou,  to  bc  prompt,  aud  to  value 
ing-schooi.  tij^e  »  A  girls'  boarding-school  was  opened 
in  1862. 

Hadji  Hagop,  an  old  and  valued  helper  at  this  sta- 
AnatiTe  *^**^'  ^^ut  ouc  Sabbath  to  Hulakegh,  an 
preacher.  out-statiou,  to  prcach.  Ou  leaving  the 
Protestant  chapel,  he  met  the  teacher  of  the  Arme- 
nian school  with  a  Bible  under  his  arm,  going  to 
the  church,  where  they  were  to  have  a  "  preaching 
meeting,"  —  as  was  the  case  in  several  villages  where 
the  mission  had  congregations,  partly  in  imitation 
of  the  mission,  and  partly  to  counteract  its  influence, 
—  aud  he  asked  Hagop  to  go  with  him.  He  went, 
aud  the  leading  men  urged  him  to  preach,  which  he 


THE  ARMENIANS.  227 

consented  to  do.  The  news  spread  through  the 
village,  and  the  congregation  almost  immediately 
swelled  to  two  hundred  and  fifty.  He  preached  Christ 
and  Him  crucified  for  about  an  hour,  securing  most 
fixed  attention,  and  it  is  said  the  women  were  nearly 
all  moved  to  tears. 

Mr.  Walker,  the  resident  missionary  at  Diarbekir, 
visited  Mosul  in  1861,  and  found  the  con- 

Mosul. 

gregation  in  that  city  about  as  it  was  when 
the  missionaries  left.  Subsequently,  when  visited  by 
Mr.  Williams,  the  Mosul  church  sent  an  earnest  plea 
for  a  missionary  to  the  Prudential  Committee.  Mr. 
Williams  was  with  them  three  months,  married  three 
couples,  baptized  several  children,  and  admitted  one 
to  the  church. 

Mr.  Walker's  tour  was  extended  more  than  a 
thousand  miles,  and  he  found  much  that  was  very 
painful,  and  yet  much  that  was  encouraging,  among 
the  Arabic-speaking  people  in  Eastern  Turkey. 

The  church   in   Diarbekir  numbered   eighty-four 
members  in  1862,  and  the  pupils  in  the  Sab-  ordination 
bath-school  were  two  hundred  and  eighty-  pL^twaP 
four.    At  Cutterbul  a  house  had  been  built, 
to  be  occupied  as  a  place  of  worship  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  for  a  school-house  during  the  week,  and  there 
were  hopeful  indications  in  places  near.     At  the  an- 
nual meeting  of  the  mission,  in  the  following  year. 
Baron  Tomas  Boyajian  ^  was  ordained  as  pastor  of 

^  Known  to  the  reader  as  Tomas.    Baron  is  equivalent  to  Mr. 


228    MISSIONS  TO  THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

the  first  evang-elical  church  in  Diarbekir.  His  ex- 
amination was  well  sustained.  The  ordaining  ser- 
vices were  necessarily  in  the  open  air,  and  were  con- 
ducted in  Armenian,  Turkish,  and  Arabic.  More 
than  a  thousand  adults  were  present,  besides  hun- 
dreds of  children,  and  the  interest  was  sustained  to 
the  end.  The  members  of  the  church  pledged  them- 
selves to  furnish  nearly  half  the  salary.  Thirteen 
members,  heretofore  connected  with  that  church, 
were  formed  into  a  separate  organization  at  Cut- 
terbul. 

These  services  were  like  our  own  ;  and  how  much 
Contrasted  ^ore  rational  and  appropriate  must  they 
^entoi  or-  h^vc  appeared  to  the  people,  than  the  or- 
dination services  prescribed  in  the  Liturgy 
of  the  Armenian  Church,  as  described  by  Mr.  Goss. 
"  In  the  first  place,  the  exercises  are  all  performed 
in  an  unknown  tongue,  the  old  Armenian.  The 
bishop  sits  at  one  end  of  the  church,  the  candidate 
enters  at  the  other,  walking  on  his  knees,  and  thus 
proceeds  to  the  altar.  The  skirt  of  the  bishop  is 
thrown  over  his  head,  and  the  bishop  asks  a  few 
general  questions,  which  are  answered  by  a  third 
person,  either  priest  or  deacon.  They  are  such  as 
these  :  *  Does  this  man  understand  the  Scriptures '  ? 
'  Is  he  the  child  of  a  lawful  marriage '  ?  etc.  An 
affirmative  reply  is  given,  when  perhaps  the  man 
cannot  read.  He  is  then  asked,  if  he  is  a  disciple, 
not  of  Christ,  but  of  certain  church  fathers.    Also, 


THE  ARMENIANS.  229 

if  be  will  pronounce  '  Anathema  maranatha '  upon 
all  heretics.  Then  Arians,  Nestorians,  and  other 
heretical  sects  are  mentioned,  and  the  sweeping 
question  is  put,  — '  Will  you  pronounce  all  accursed 
who  do  not  acknowledge  Mary  to  be  the  mother  of 
God  ? '  The  candidate  repeats  the  names  of  these 
sects,  and  curses  them  all.  Then  follows  the  re- 
baptism,  with  the  sacred  oil,  according  to  the  Ar- 
menian custom  with  infants.  The  hands  of  the  new 
priest  are  then  bound  together  and  oiled,  and  he  is 
made  to  stand  outside  of  the  church,  when  the  con- 
gregation come,  and,  kissing  his  hands,  put  their 
paras  ^  on  a  plate,  which  is  near  by  to  receive  them. 
The  priest  is  then  imprisoned  forty  days  in  the 
church,  with  the  cuffs  of  his  sleeves  and  his  trousers 
sewed  close  to  his  limbs.  In  this  condition,  he  is 
not  allowed  to  brush  off  an  insect,  or  to  relieve  his 
body  from  any  unpleasant  sensation  whatever.  He 
cannot  change  his  clothes  during  the  whole  time, 
and  his  food  is  of  the  coarsest  quality.  His  wife 
passes  through  a  similar  ordeal  at  home." 

Considerable  annoyance  was  felt,  about  this  time, 
growing  out  of  the  efforts  of  an  Armenian,  Disturbing 

efforts  of 

named  Garabed,  to  form  a  church  at  Diar-  oarabed. 
bekir,  which  should  admit  persons  to  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  without  requiring  evidence  of 
piety,  and  baptize  the  children  of  any  who  might 
desire  it.    He  made  similar  efforts  at  Aleppo,  Aintab, 

1  About  a  mill  of  our  money. 


230      MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

and  Marash.  He  visited  Jerusalem,  and  so  far 
gained  the  confidence  of  English  missionaries  resid- 
ing there,  that  the  excellent  Bishop  Gobat  was  in- 
duced to  give  him  ordination.  But  he  failed  to 
secure  the  confidence  of  the  missionaries  and  na- 
tive pastors  in  Central  and  Eastern  Turkey,  where 
he  was  better  known ;  and  the  evidence  at  hand 
constrains  me  to  add,  that  the  missionaries  at  all 
the  stations  anticipated  nothing  but  evil  from  such 
intrusions,  at  this  stage  of  the  missionary  enterprise 
in  Turkey.^ 

The  congregations  at  Bitlis  were  composed  mostly 
Progress  at  ^^  jouug  mcu,  apparently  drawn  together 
Bitiis.  i^y  Yq^q  for  the  truth.     About  twenty  were 

known  as  Protestants,  and  five  of  them  had  gone 
through  a  fiery  trial  of  persecution.  The  Bible 
class,  which  had  been  broken  up  by  that  means,  was 
now  regularly  attended  by  about  thirty  young  men, 
some  of  whom  developed  rich  natural  endowments, 
and  gave  promise  of  future  usefulness.  Sabbath- 
school  instruction  was  found  a  valuable  auxiliary  to 

1  "  We  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  efifbrts  of  our  English 
(Church)  brethren  to  obtain  a  foothold  in  Aintab.  It  seems  that 
large  sums  of  money  have  been  appropriated  under  the  direction  of 
Bishop  Gobat,  of  Jerusalem,  for  this  purpose  ;  and  a  large  and  costly 
church  building  is  being  begun  under  the  superintendence  of  the  Eng- 
lish Consul  at  Aleppo.  We  are  surprised  and  grieved  at  this  breach 
of  courtesy  on  the  part  of  these  English  friends,  especially  so  soon 
after  the  earnest  protests  of  the  officers  of  our  Board  against  such 
interference  by  other  missionary  societies."  —  Letter  ivritten  in  1872. 


TUE  ARMENIANS.  231 

the  preaching  of  the  missionaries,  on  account  of  the 
opportunity  it  afforded  for  free  and  familiar  illustra- 
tion and  personal  application  of  the  truth.  It  also 
made  the  missionary  acquainted  with  the  supersti- 
tious and  errors  of  the  Armenian  religion.  The 
women's  meeting,  conducted  by  Mrs.  Knapp  and 
Mrs.  Burbank,  was  well  attended  and  influential. 
A  school  for  girls,  taught  by  the  wife  of  the  helper, 
was  broken  up  by  the  violence  of  Armenian  ecclesi- 
astics. The  missionaries  appealed  to  the  Pasha,  and 
to  Mr.  Dalzell,  the  friendly  British  Consul  at  Erz- 
room.  The  result  was  that  the  priests  commenced 
a  free  school  for  boys  and  girls,  and  also  a  preaching 
service,  hoping  thus  to  deter  the  people  from  becom- 
ing Protestants.  The  Porte  had  given  orders  that 
the  Protestants  in  every  city  should  have  a  suitable 
cemetery,  but  every  effort  to  secure  one  at  Bitlis 
had  been  without  success. 

Dr.  Dwight  was  much  interested  in  this  city.  Its 
population  was  thirty  thousand,  and  one  third  were 
Armenians ;  the  rest  were  Koords  and  Turks,  and 
there  were  hundreds  of  villages  within  the  district. 
The  place  was  proverbial  for  salubrity,  and  he  saw 
enough  to  convince  him  that  the  leaven  of  the  Gos- 
pel was  working  powerfully  among  the  people. 
Moosh,  an  out- station  of  Bitlis,  was  occupied  by  the 
native  pastor  Simon.  The  truth  had  taken  some 
hold  there,  but  the  people  were  more  degraded  than 
at  Bitlis. 


232    MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Erzroom  bad  several  changes  of  missionaries  in 
The  church  ^^^  ^^^  jears  previous  to  1862.  Being  near 
at  Erzroom.  ^^  Russia,  it  suffercd  greatly  during  the 
Crimean  war.  The  church  was  disbanded,  but  was 
reorganized  by  Mr.  Trowbridge.  Mr.  Pollard  re- 
moved thither  from  Arabkir,  and  was  received  with 
unexpected  favor.  The  government  now  granted  an 
eligible  cemetery ;  and  the  Armenian  Bishop,  hav- 
ing had  the  benefit  of  a  two  years'  residence  in  the 
United  States,  was  friendly  towards  the  American 
missionary. 

The  removal  of  Mr.  Pollard  left  Mr.  Richardson 
Progress  at  ^louc  at  Arabliir.  His  report  for  1862, 
Arabkir.  ghows  that  thcrc  was  much  to  encourage 
him.  Turkish  women  came  to  the  female  prayer- 
meetings  ;  and  the  opening  of  Protestant  schools  had 
led  the  Armenians  to  establish  schools  for  their  own 
children,  in  some  of  which  a  large  proportion  of  the 
pupils  were  girls,  though  but  a  few  years  had  passed 
since  it  was  considered  a  shame  for  females  to  learn 
to  read.  Eleven  young  men  from  seven  different 
cities  and  villages  in  this  district,  were  connected 
with  the  Harpoot  Seminary,  giving  the  prospect  of 
an  improved  class  of  helpers.  Yet  most  of  the 
former  helpers  had  proved  themselves  sincere  and 
pious  ;  and  after  having  done  what  they  could  to 
bring  forward  younger  men  of  higher  attainments, 
they  were  themselves  humbly  and  gracefully  return- 
ing to  their  former  trades  and  callings,  and  laboring 


THE  ARMENIANS.  233 

for  the  advancement  of  the  good  cause  as  Sabbath- 
school  teachers  and  private  Christians. 

At  the  close  of  1862,  Dr.  Wood,  the  Correspond- 
ing Secretary  of  the  Board  at  New  York,  ^^.^^^^  ^^ 
in  consideration  of  his  former  experience  corJuntiiro- 
and  his  familiarity  with  the  Armenian  Ian-  ^'^ 
guage,  was  requested  by  the  Prudential  Committee 
to  reside  at  Constantinople  for  a  year  or  more,  labor- 
ing in  connection  with  the  mission  to  Western  Tur- 
key. This  was  necessary  in  consequence  of  the  sick- 
ness of  several  missionaries,  and  the  special  demand, 
at  that  time,  for  labor  at  that  important  post.  He 
returned  in  the  summer  of  1864,  after  having  ren- 
dered important  service  to  the  mission. 

The  clerical  accessions  to  the  mission,  in  1862  and 
1863,  were  Messrs.  John  Francis  Smith,  Accessions  to 
Moses  P.  Parmelee,  and  Giles  F.  Mont-  *^«'^^«°- 
gomery,  with  their  wives ;  and  their  respective 
assignments  were  to  the  Western,  Central,  and 
Eastern  missions.  In  addition  to  these.  Miss  Ara- 
bella L.  Babcock  went  to  Harpoot,  Miss  Ann  Eliza 
Fritcher  to  Marsovau,  and  Miss  Mary  E.  Reynolds 
to  the  Bulgarian  Mission. 

In  May,  1863,  native  pastors  were  ordained  at 
Antioch,  Bitlis,  Adana,  and   Tarsus.      In  ordination 

of  native 

June,  a  fifth  was  ordained  at  Killis,  the  pastors. 
officiating  clergy  in  this  last  case,  with  a  single  ex- 
ception, being  natives. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  ARMENIANS. 

1864-1866. 

A  REACTIONARY  movement  took  place  among  the 
Mohammedans  of  the  capital  in  1864.    The 

A  reaction.  i      i        .  i 

government  had  encouraged  the  introduc- 
tion of  European  science.  Men  high  in  civil  posi- 
tions had  delivered  courses  of  lectures  on  history  and 
other  topics,  in  a  surprisingly  liberal  spirit,  and  to 
audiences  embracing  hundreds  of  Turks.  A  "  Lit- 
erary and  Scientific  Gazette,"  published  monthly  un- 
der the  auspices  of  a  native  "  Oriental  Society,"  dis- 
cussed questions  of  political  and  social  economy  from 
an  occidental  stand-point ;  and  the  press  was  active 
in  issuing  pamphlets  and  books  by  native  writers,  in- 
dicating and  promoting  a  new  intellectual  life.  All 
this  the  devotees  of  the  "  Old  School "  regarded  with 
suspicion.  They  were  even  more  alarmed  by  the 
religious  liberty,  which  had  been  successfully  claimed 
for  converts  from  Mohammedanism,  who  had  been 
openly  baptized,  and  lived  unmolested  as  Christians. 
The  government  had  some  time  before  been  led  to 
discourage  Christian  education  by  missionaries  and 


THE  ARMENIANS.  235 

other  foreigners,  when  they  could  do  this  indirectly 
and  under  plausible  pretexts ;  and  they  were  some- 
what rigid  in  their  censorship  of  the  religious  press. 
The  Scriptures,  however,  were  allowed  to  be  printed 
and  circulated  in  the  Arabo-Turkish,  or  sacred  char- 
acter, and  no  objection  was  made  to  simple  exposi- 
tions of  Christian  truth  in  that  language. 

But  when  copies  of  Dr.  Pfander's  book^  were 
brought  to  Constantinople,  which  defended  Chris- 
tianity against  Mohammedanism,  and  assailed  the 
latter,  it  was  detained  at  the  custom-house ;  yet 
copies  got  abroad  in  some  way,  without  foreign 
agency,  and  were  sought  by  Mohammedans  who  were 
interested  in  the  great  question  it  discussed.  A 
Moslem  published  a  bitter  reply ;  and  in  July,  the 
manifest  increase  of  both  Christian  ideas  and  pan- 
theistic infidelity  among  the  people,  and  the  grow- 
ing excitement  among  the  fanatical  party,  began  to 
alarm  the  government.  There  was  believed  to  be  a 
somewhat  large  body,  who  wished  to  reform  the 
Mohammedan  faith ;  and  it  was  said  that  a  petition 
was  presented  to  the  government,  by  some  Moslems 
calling  themselves  Protestants,  for  a  mosque  in  which 
to  worship  in  their  own  way. 

The  fears  of  the  Sultan  were  aroused.  For  several 
weeks  spies  beset  the  missionaries  at  every  step. 
Finally,  on  a  set  day,  several  Turkish  converts  were 

1  Dr.  Pfander,  was  a  highly  respected  missionary  of  the  (English) 
Church  Missionary  Society.     The  work  was  printed  in  London. 


236     MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

arrested,  and  cast  into  prison,  some  of  them  being 
treated  with  great  indignity.  On  the  next  day,  the 
printing  presses  used  by  the  missionaries  were  seized 
and  put  under  seal,  and  rooms  occupied  by  English 
missionaries,  and  the  bookstore  of  the  American 
mission  and  the  two  Bible  Societies  were  also  closed 
by  the  police. 

These  proceedings,  being  in  direct  violation  of 
Consequent  ^'ig^ts  sccurcd  by  treaty,  were  at  once  met 
movements,  ^^j^j^  ^  dccided  protcst  from  Mr.  Brown, 
who,  in  the  absence  of  the  American  Minister  Resi- 
dent, was  the  representative  of  his  government ;  and 
after  some  delay,  the  British  Ambassador,  Sir  Henry 
Bulwer,  also  sent  in  a  remonstrance.  An  examina- 
tion of  the  bookstore  discovered  no  prohibited  pub- 
lications ;  and  after  two  days  it  was  allowed  to  be  re- 
opened. The  printing  offices  were  likewise  restored. 
A  correspondence  followed  between  Sir  Henry  Bulwer 
and  the  Turkish  authorities,  and  between  him  and 
the  missionaries  resident  at  Constantinople.  The 
Mohammedans  professed  not  to  oppose  their  people's 
embracing  the  Christian  religion,  but  only  such  reck- 
less proselytism,  as  endangered  the  public  peace ; 
and  they  declared  their  willingness  to  release  the 
imprisoned  converts  if  it  could  be  done  consistently 
with  their  personal  safety.  But  the  missionaries  be- 
lieved that  the  intention  of  the  Turks,  and  also  the 
tendency  of  Sir  Henry's  movements,  were  seriously 
to  curtail  their  own  liberty  and  that  of  their  con- 


THE  ARMENIANS.  237 

verts,  and  greatly  to  embarrass  the  propagation  of 
the  Gospel,  as  well  among  all  the  nominally  Christ- 
ian sects,  as  among  the  Moslems. 

The  immediate  effect  of  these  things  was  to  pre- 
vent attendance  by  the  Turks  on  preaching, 
the  circulation  of  Christian  books,  and  per- 
sonal intercourse  with  the  missionaries. 

The  position  of  the  entire  field,  at  the  opening  of 
1864,  from  Constantinople  to  Diarbekir  on  position  of 

the  entire 

the  East,  and  to  Antioch  on  the  south,  was  field. 
one  to  interest  the  intelligent  observer.    The  laborers 
employed  in  this  wide  and  populous  region,  not  in- 
cluding the  Bulgarians,  were  — 

Missionaries 36 

Missionary  Physicians 2 

Female  Assistant  Missionaries        ...  41 

Native  Pastors 20 

Licensed  Native  Preachers      ....  43 

Teachers 83 

Other  Helpers 58 

Total         .         283 

The  printing  was  done  at  Constantinople  for  all 
the  missions ;  and  that  reported  for  the  year  1863 
was  as  follows  : 

In  Armenian 1,821,000  pages 

In  Armeuo-Turkish         ....  1,128,000      " 
In  Arabo-Turkish        ....  264,000      " 

In  Greek 6,000      " 

In  Bulgarian 1,896,000      " 


Total  5,115,000      " 


238     MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Of  Turkish  Scriptures  twice  as  many  copies  had 
been  distributed  as  in  previous  years.  More  than 
twenty-five  thousand  copies  of  the  Word  of  God  went 
into  circulation,  in  at  least  twenty  different  lan- 
guages. Tlie  following  is  a  statement  of  the  Scrip- 
tures prepared  and  printed,  under  the  supervision 
of  the  missionaries  of  the  Board,  from  1840  to  1863 : 

In  Modern  Armenian       ....  37,500 

In  Ararat             8,000 

In  Armeno-Turkish         ....  6,500 

In  Greco-Turkish 55,000 

In  Koordish 13,000 

In  Bulgarian 4,000 

In  Hebrew-Spanish          ....  23,000 

Armenian  Psalms 14,000 

Total     ....         161,000 

Of  these,  there  were  published  at  the  expense  of 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  100,000 ;  of 
the  American  Bible  Society,  54,000 ;  and  of  the 
American  Tract  Society  (New  York),  7,000.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  above  printed  in  Turkey,  10,500  copies 
of  the  modern  Armenian  version  were  printed  in  New 
York,  from  electrotype  plates  of  the  American  Bible 
Society ;  and  5,000  copies  of  the  same  version  were 
printed  in  London,  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society. 

The  number  of  churches  was  forty-seven,  with 
one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirteen  members. 
There  had  been  received  from  the  beginning  two 
thousand    three   hundred    and    thirty-seven.      The 


THE  ARMENIANS.  239 

efforts  to  bring  the  churches  to  the  point  of  self- 
support  were  not  always  appreciated.  The  people 
were  poor,  and  sometimes  felt  their  poverty     obstacles 

tobesur- 

more  than  they  should,  and  in  almost  every  mounted. 
church  there  were  members  who  were  ready  to  re- 
sent any  transfer  of  pecuniary  responsibility  from 
the  mission  treasury  to  themselves.  Moreover,  it 
was  sometimes  not  easy  for  a  native  pastor,  with  the 
tastes  acquired  during  his  education,  to  live  in  a 
manner  that  would  put  him  in  sympathy  with  his 
people,  and  encourage  the  hope  of  their  soon  assum- 
ing his  supiK)rt.  Nor  was  it  easy  for  the  native 
pastor,  from  his  different  stand-point,  to  appreciate 
the  responsibilities  of  the  missionary.  A  union  of 
the  churches  was  needed,  but  had  been  delayed  by 
their  distance  from  each  other  and  their  poverty. 

It  has  been  already  stated  that  the  Western  mis- 
sion resolved,  in  1862,  to  remove  the  two  Painfui  ex- 
perience at 
seminaries  from  Constantinople  to  Marso-  Marsovan. 

van.  Mr.  Leonard  and  his  wife  and  Miss  Maria  A. 
West  were  already  there.  Mr.  Dodd  and  family, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith,  and  Miss  Fritcher  now  re- 
moved thither.  The  delightful  harmony  and  Chris- 
tian zeal  which  existed  at  this  station  when  the 
mission  passed  the  resolution,  had  been  followed  by 
painful  disagreements.  Through  the  mistaken  zeal 
of  a  young  school-teacher,  anxious  to  effect  some 
changes  in  the  school,  the  community  were  betrayed 
into  an  attempt  to  obtain  exclusive  control  of  the 


240  MISSIONS   TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

funds  of  the  Board  appropriated  to  education. 
This  eventually  led  to  a  struggle  with  the  mis- 
sion for  the  possession  of  the  meeting-house  and  a 
dwelling-house  connected  with  it,  which  had  been 
purchased  by  the  Board  a  few  years  before.  Much 
ill  feeling  existed  both  in  the  church  and  the 
community  while  this  was  in  progress,  and  for 
about  six  weeks  a  large  number  withdrew,  and  set 
up  public  worship  in  a  private  house,  with  the 
teacher  at  their  head.  This  separate  movement 
was  then  given  up,  and  there  was  soon  a  return  of 
peace  and  mutual  affection ;  but  neither  of  the 
schools  were  opened  before  the  next  year. 

The  accessions  to  the  missions  in  Turkey,  in  the 
Accessions  to  ^^"^^  "^^  uudcr  rcvicw,  were  Messrs.  Wal- 
the  mission.  ^^^.  ^  (j-j^g^  Hcury  A.  Schauffler,  Lucien 
N.  Adams,  and  Albert  Bryant,  with  their  wives ;  also 
Miss  Clarissa  C.  Pond. 

The  working  force  of  the  mission  at  Constantino- 
working       pie,  consisting  of  Drs.  Goodell  and  Riggs, 

force  at  the 

metropous.  aud  Mcssrs.  Trowbridge,  Herrick,  and 
Washburn,  was  quite  too  small  for  the  demands  of 
that  great  metropolis,  and  for  the  general  work  of 
the  mission  which  had  to  be  performed  there.  The 
Rev.  Isaac  G.  Bliss,  agent  of  the  American  Bible 
Society,  rendered  valuable  assistance  in  the  care  of 
the  book  department.  Dr.  Hamlin  was  no  longer 
able  to  render  the  services  he  had  performed. 
Robert  College  was  allowed  the  use  of  the  Seminary 


THE  ARMENIANS.  241 

building    at    Bebek,    belonging    to    the   American 

Board,    until   another   building  could    be  Robert  col- 
lege at  Be- 
erected.      Its  twenty   students   paid  forty  i5«k. 

pounds  each  year  for  board  and  tuition.  Its  success- 
ful beginning  in  1862,  under  the  munificent  patron- 
age of  its  founder,  and  the  care  of  its  President, 
Dr.  Hamlin,  and  Professors  Perkins  and  Henry  A. 
Schauffler,  was  a  subject  for  general  congratulation. 
The  unhappy  dissensions  of  the  Protestant  civil 
community  had  in  some  degree  subsided ;    . 

•'  c5  'An  unsuc- 

but  the  Pera  church,  maintaining  its  atti-  orgf^fog 
tude  of  disaflFection,  sought  patronage  from  °^°''®'"®°  • 
the  English  Bishop  of  Gibraltar,  offering  to  receive 
Episcopal  ordination  for  the  pastor,  and  to  become 
a  "  Reformed  Armenian  church,"  which  should 
reject  the  grossest  errors  of  the  Armenian  Church, 
while  it  approximated  closely  to  it  in  government, 
worship,  and  usages.  Inquiries  were  instituted  by 
the  proper  ecclesiastical  authorities,  and  encour- 
agement  was  withheld  from  the  movement. 

It  is  painful  to  state  that  Vertanes,  so  often 
favorably  mentioned  in  the  early  history  of  this 
mission,  and  frequently  actuated  by  a  zeal  which, 
the  missionaries  judged  too  ardent,  became  now 
disaffected,  and  it  was  necessary  to  dismiss  him  as 
a  helper. 

The  Pera  church,  at  the  time  of  writing  this  his- 
tory, is  in  full  fellowship  with  the  missionaries  and 
its  sister  churches. 


242      MFSSWNS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

The  Protestant  community  at  Broosa  suffered 
Great  fire  at  severclj  iu  a  Conflagration,  which  con- 
Broosa.  gumccl  ucarlj  the  whole  Armenian  quarter 
of  the  city.  The  neat  Protestant  church  edifice,  and 
the  dwelling  of  the  native  pastor,  happily  escaped. 

A  railway  connects  Smyrna  with  Aidin,  a  city  of 
New  mission-  ^^^ut  fifty  tliousaud  inhabitants,  eighty 
ary  station,  ^liles  distant.  A  church  had  bccu  fomicd 
there  previous  to  1865  ;  four  persons  were  added  to 
it  in  that  year,  and  the  brethren  were  grateful  for 
their  native  pastor,  but  desired  a  missionary  who 
could  preach  iu  Greek,  as  they  could  reckon  up 
scores  of  Greeks  who  seemed  ready  to  receive  the 
truth. 

Adana  remained  unoccupied  after  Mr.  Cofling's 
Influence  of    death,  uutil  Marcli,  1863,  when  Mr.  Goss 

the  American 

waratAdana.  arrivcd,  and,  afterwards.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Goodale.  The  native  pastor  was  faithful  and  intel- 
ligent. Though  neither  church  nor  congregation 
was  large,  there  was  an  advance  in  the  observance 
of  the  Sabbath,  also  in  self-support  and  general  be- 
nevolence. The  increased  price  of  the  cotton  grown 
on  its  magnificent  plain,  as  the  result  of  the  war  iu 
America,  had  given  an  extraordinary  impulse  to  the 
business  of  the  place,  and  to  the  spirit  of  commerce. 
There  was  much  to  encourage  hope  in  respect  to  this 
important  station. 

Dr.  Nutting,  being  transferred  from  the  Eastern 
Diminished    to  tlic  Ccutral  missiou,  was  stationed  at 

force  in  Cen- 
tral Turkey.    Oorfa,  whcrc  his  brother  was  laboring;  Mr. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  243 

and  Mrs.  Moutg-omery  were  added  to  the  Central 
mission  ;  but  the  return  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White 
and  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Goodale,  by  reason  of  a  faihire 
of  health,  made  the  number  of  missionaries  in  that 
field  less  than  it  had  been  the  year  before. 

Yet  such  was  the  advance  in  ^intab,  that  the  mis- 
sion resolved,  at  its  annual  meeting  in  1864,  Eyangciicai 

progress  at 

that  there  was  no  longer  a  call  for  the  resi-  Aintab. 
dence  of  a  missionary  in  that  city.  The  church  had 
increased  to  three  hundred  and  fifty  members,  and 
had  two  native  pastors,  both  of  decided  ability,  sound 
judgment,  harmonious  views,  and  deep- toned  piety ; 
and  it  was  thought  that  the  proper  development  of 
the  pastoral  relation,  and  the  most  economical  dis- 
posal of  missionary  strength,  would  be  promoted  by 
leaving  the  station  to  native  cultivation,  with  occa- 
sional visits  of  missionaries.  As,  however,  a  second 
church  was  to  be  formed,  and  a  new  house  of  worship 
to  be  built,  mainly  with  funds  from  England  placed 
under  Dr.  Schneider's  direction,  the  mission  ap- 
proved of  his  remaining  there  till  these  things  were 
done,  when  he  was  to  go  —  as  he  has  since  gone  — 
to  another  field,  where  he  might  hope,  with  his  un- 
common power  as  a  preacher  in  the  Turkish  lan- 
guage, to  reap  a  harvest  like  that  which  had  re- 
sulted in  the  truly  wonderful  ingathering  of  souls  at 
Aintab. 

The  division  of  the  church  took  place  in  the  fol- 
lowing year.     When   the  time   had   fully  Twochurch- 

es  formed  at 

come  for  it,  the  senior  pastor  proposed  that  Aintab. 


244       MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

each  head  of  a  family  choose  between  them.  The 
result  was,  that  the  two  churches,  thus  formed,  each 
contained  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  members. 
The  number  in  each  congregation,  small  and  great, 
was  between  eight  and  nine  hundred.  The  prepon- 
derance was  slightly  in  favor  of  the  first  church  and 
congregation,  of  which  Baron  Avedis  was  pastor. 
Baron  Krikore  became  the  pastor  of  the  new  church. 

On  the  Sabbath  when  the  formal  separation  took 
place,  the  customary  services  were  exchanged  for  ad- 
dresses suited  to  the  occasion  by  the  pastors  and  Dr. 
Schneider,  and  there  was  the  same  interming'ling 
of  joy  and  sorrow  which  is  sometimes  witnessed 
on  similar  occasions  in  our  own  land.  Those  who 
went  out  made  the  sacrifice  cheerfully.  In  the  after- 
noon they  assembled  in  their  place  of  temporary 
worship,  which  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity. 
"  Though  uncomfortably  crowded,  pleasure  beamed 
in  every  countenance.  The  Confession  of  Faith  and 
the  Covenant  were  read  and  adopted  anew  by  the 
church,  all  the  members  standing.  Then  they  were 
addressed  on  subjects  appropriate  to  their  circum- 
stances, with  a  view  to  rousing  them  to  new  zeal  and 
activity.  When  all  was  over,  little  groups  were  en- 
gaged in  lively  conversation  over  the  whole  house, 
showing  that  all  were  especially  interested  in  what 
had  transpired," 

The  Female  Boarding-school  at  Aintab,  under  the 
Girls'  board-  carc  of  Miss  Proctor,  was  now  firmly  estab- 
at  Aintab.     lishcd,   haviug  overcome   wuch   prejudice 


THE  ARMENIANS.  245 

against  female  education,  and  against  tlie  regula- 
tions necessary  in  such  an  institution.  It  bad  four- 
teen pupils,  who  acquitted  themselves  well  at  a  public 
examination  in  the  presence  of  a  deeply  interested 
assembly. 

In  the  high  school  for  young  men  at  the  same 
station,  under  the  very  competent  instruc-  ^^^  ^^^^^ 
tion  of  Baron  Alexan,  twelve  candidates  for  ^'^°'^^- 
the  ministry  were  taught  in  secular  branches,  to 
whom  lectures  were  delivered  in  the  departments 
of  theological  study  by  Drs.  Schneider  and  Pratt. 
At  an  examination  of  this  school  in  the  church, 
in  the  presence  of  several  hundred  persons,  —  in- 
cluding six  Moslems  of  prominent  social  positions, 
most  of  whom  listened  for  several  hours  with  the 
deepest  interest,  —  the  scholars  gave  highly  sat- 
isfactory proofs  of  mental  ability  and  discipline ; 
while  the  simplicity  of  their  piety,  and  their  readi- 
ness to  labor  where  divine  Providence  should  call 
them,  gave  good  promise  of  their  future  steadfast- 
ness and  usefulness.  It  was  then  resolved  to  remove 
the  Theological  School  to  Marash,  and  place  it  under 
the  instruction  of  Dr.  Pratt  and  Mr.  Goss,  assisted 
by  Baron  Alexan,  and  that  none  but  pious  young 
men  should  be  admitted.  The  course  of  study  was 
to  occupy  three  years ;  and  so  much  of  their  own 
personal  expenses  were  to  devolve  upon  the  students, 
or  their  friends,  as  might  test  their  character,  and 
furnish  a  healthful  stimulus  to  the  Protestant  com- 
munity on  the  subject  of  education  for  the  ministry. 


246       MISSIONS  TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

The  Theological  Seminary  at  Harpoot  sent  forth 
Graduating  ^^^  ^^'^^  ^^^'^^  ^^  eighteen  young  men  near 
HarpooV'''  the  close  of  1863.  Eight  of  these  had  been 
licensed  as  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  and 
nearly  all  the  rest  were  employed  at  out-stations,  as 
catechists  and  teachers.  Some  were  expecting  to  be 
soon  ordained  as  pastors.  The  demand  for  additional 
laborers  was  urgent,  because  of  the  very  general 
increase  in  the  size,  as  well  as  number,  of  the  con- 
gregations. 

Social  meetings  for  the  study  of  the  Scriptures 
Singular        wcrc  fouud  to  bc  so  influential  for  good  in 

method  of 

opposition,  the  Harpoot  district,  that  the  Armenian 
ecclesiastics  of  the  Old  Church  sought  to  counteract 
-their  influence  by  the  same  expedient ;  but  the  re- 
sult disappointed  their  hopes.  In  Malatia,  they  ap- 
pointed a  meeting  for  such  readings  every  evening 
in  the  week,  in  each  of  the  twenty-four  wards  of  their 
part  of  the  city.  Their  intention  was  to  have  the 
Scriptures  and  the  church  books  read  in  the  ancient 
language ;  but  the  people  insisted  on  having  the 
Bible  alone  read,  and  read  in  the  spoken  language. 
So  every  night  the  Word  of  God,  in  the  vernacular, 
was  read  and  commented  on  in  twenty-four  assem- 
blies of  from  forty  to  sixty  persons. 

Of  more  significance  was  the  fact,  that  many  of 
Progress  of  *^^®  local  communities,  besides  the  one  at 
in^h"^^*"^  Harpoot,  were  taking  upon  themselves  the 
c  urc  es.      gyppoj-t  of  their  pastors  and  preachers,  and 


THE  ARMENIANS.  247 

were  beg-inning  to  relieve  the  Board  of  the  expense 
of  their  schools.  A  raissiouary  spirit  was  also  spring- 
ing up.     The  churches  in  the  cities  were  And  of  the 

evangelical 

beginning  to  care  for  the  villages.  Mis-  spirit. 
sionary  societies  were  formed.  In  one  of  the  out- 
stations  of  Harpoot,  the  school  boys  had  an  evan- 
gelical society.  On  Saturdays  they  met  and  had 
prayers,  singing,  and  the  reading  of  a  tract ;  and 
the  next  day  they  went  out,  two  and  two,  to  the 
houses  of  such  Armenians  as  did  not  come  to  the 
Protestant  place  of  worship,  and  asked  the  privilege 
of  reading  from  the  New  Testament.  Being  chil- 
dren, they  often  found  a  hearing  where  older  persons 
could  not.  A  boys'  missionary  society  in  Diarbekir 
bore  the  expense  of  a  scripture  reader  in  a  large 
Armenian  village  nine  miles  distant.  A  like  associ- 
ation of  men  paid  seven  eighths  of  the  salary  of  a 
helper  in  another  village.  Subsequently,  a  door  be- 
ing found  open  in  an  unhopeful  village  near  the  city, 
the  native  brethren  hired  a  house,  and  each  Sabbath 
sent  one  of  their  own  number  to  spend  the  day  as  a 
scripture  reader.  A  similar  zeal  was  manifested  at 
Bitlis  by  a  number  of  young  men,  who  were  studying 
at  their  own  charges. 

But  there  were  trials.     Some  of  the  young  men 
in  the  Harpoot  Seminary  refused  to  exer- 

Triala. 

cise  the  self-denial  necessary  to  live  on  the 

means  allowed  for  their  support,  and  returned  to 

their   homes ;  and  a  few  of  the   graduating   class 


248      MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

preferred  to  enter  secular  business,  rather  than  ac- 
cept the  salary  offered.  This  was  not  without  its 
uses,  as  it  confirmed  a  wholesome  principle,  and  was 
the  means  of  bringing  some  men,  after  a  time,  into 
the  service  under  a  more  just  apprehension  of  the 
true  value  of  the  ministry. 

The  Eastern  Turkey  Mission  was  painfully  afflicted 
Death  of  Mrs.  ^"  ^SQ^  aud  1866.  Tlic  three  families  at 
wiiuams.  Harpoot  each  lost  two  children  ;  and  Mrs. 
Williams  was  called  to  her  rest,  depriving  the-  mis- 
sion of  a  highly  valued  and  beloved  member,  and 
leaving  her  husband  alone,  in  the  sole  charge  of  a 
difficult  station.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson  were 
obliged  by  illness  to  visit  their  native  land,  and  the 
Arabkir  field  was  placed  under  the  permanent  care 
of  the  Harpoot  station. 

The  Eastern  mission  had  now  ten  missionaries. 
General  view  with  as  many  fcuiale  assistant  missionaries, 

of  the  East- 
ern mission,    six  uativc  pastors,  seventeen  licensed  native 

preachers,  twenty-five  native  teachers,  and  thirty- 
two  other  helpers.  The  out-stations  had  increased 
to  forty-seven,  eighteen  of  which  were  connected 
with  Harpoot.  The  average  attendance  at  the  reg- 
ular religious  services  was  over  two  thousand  and 
two  hundred;  and  many  more  heard  the  informal 
preaching  of  colporters  and  other  assistants.  Twen- 
ty-two Sabbath-schools  embraced  one  thousand  and 
four  hundred  pupils.  There  were  sixteen  churches, 
with  a  membership  of  four  hundred  and  fifty,  of 


THE  ARMENIANS.  249 

whom  sixty-eight  were  admitted  on  profession  of 
faith  in  1864,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  were 
women.  The  number  of  registered  Protestants  was 
three  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty.  Besides 
four  hundred  adults  receiving  instruction,  there  were 
one  thousand  five  hundred  children  in  fifty  common 
schools,  of  whom  more  than  five  hundred  were  girls. 
The  girls'  hoarding-school  at  Harpoot  had  forty-two 
pupils.  The  Misses  West  and  Fritcher,  from  Mar- 
sovan,  had  been  very  usefully  connected  for  a  time 
with  this  school,  in  consequence  of  the  return  home 
of  Miss  Babcock.  Miss  Clarissa  C.  Pond  was  now 
connected  with  the  school,  and  early  succeeded  in 
gaining  the  language.  The  mission  was  much  en- 
couraged by  a  growing  interest  in  education,  espe- 
cially among  the  women.  Parents  who,  a  few  years 
before,  thought  it  wholly  unnecessary,  if  not  a  dis- 
grace, for  their  daughters  to  read,  and  who  could 
hardly  be  induced  to  allow  them  to  attend  school, 
now  gladly  paid  considerable  sums  for  their  tuition. 
This  advancing  spirit  of  intelligence  was  seen,  not 
only  among  those  who  were  brought  directly  under 
the  influence  of  missionary  labor,  but  also  among 
the  Armenians  generally,  compelling  their  Methods  of 
ecclesiastics,  in  some  places,  to  open  schools  *'pp°^'"<">- 
of  their  Own.  So,  also,  to  keep  the  people  away 
from  the  Protestant  chapels,  extra  services  were 
established  in  Armenian  churches,  in  which  the 
Bible  was  read  and  explained,  and  prayer  was  offered 


250    MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

in  the  modern  or  spoken  language.  In  the  village 
of  Ichme,  they  even  went  so  far  as  to  open  an  oppo- 
sition prayer-meeting,  a  female  prayer-meeting,  and 
an  evening  meeting ;  and  societies  were  formed  in 
several  places  professedly  to  carry  the  Gospel  to 
neighboring  villages. 

There  was  much  suffering  from  poverty,  this  year 

Liberal  sup-  haviug  bccn  one  of  special  trial  in  this  re- 
port of  the 

Gospel.  spect,  but  there  was  great  liberality  on  the 
part  of  the  churches.  In  the  Harpoot  district, 
"  there  was  a  promptness  in  paying  their  pastors, 
preachers,  and  teachers,"  says  the  report  of  that 
station,  "  which  would  put  to  shame  some  richer 
and  more  enlightened  communities,  even  in  Christ- 
ian America.  The  sums  paid  by  the  people  for  the 
support  of  pastors,  schools,  chapel  building,  the 
poor,  and  for  other  benevolent  objects,  amounted 
during  the  year  to  $1,224  (in  gold),  and  would  have 
been  larger  had  not  the  mass  of  the  people  been  un- 
usually poor,  even  for  them."  Two  things  are  noted 
that  were  especially  cheering  in  regard  to  them : 
"  First ;  so  soon  as  they  become  interested  in  the 
truth,  they  earnestly  desire  a  pastor  of  their  own, 
and,  when  necessary,  are  willing  to  pay  according  to 
their  ability  for  his  support.  Secondly ;  they  are 
easily  pleased,  and  are  not  fickle  minded ;  do  not 
desire,  but  rather  oppose  change.  The  preacher 
who  has  once  been  given  to  them,  almost  without 
exception  they  learn  to  love ;  and  having  learned, 
this,  they  do  not  wish  to  part  with  him." 


THE  ARMENIANS.  251 

Mr.  Williams  was  at  Diarbekir  in  February,  aud 
found  the  church  in  great  prosperity  under  prosperity  at 
the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Tomas  Boyajian.  °'^''^«^"'- 
For  a  year  the  station  had  had  no  missionary  ;  and 
it  was  a  year  of  high  prices,  almost  a  famine,  and 
great  stagnation  in  business  throughout  Eastern 
Turkey.  At  the  same  time,  owing  to  the  trouble 
in  Constantinople,  the  Turkish  oflScials  were  more 
averse  to  Protestants  than  ever  before.  Sickness, 
too,  had  prevailed,  thirty-three  having  been  buried 
at  Diarbekir  from  the  congregation  over  which  the 
young  pastor  was  settled.  "  Yet,"  says  Mr.  Williams, 
"the  city  work  is  in  advance  of  any  one  thing  at 
Harpoot.  The  congregation  at  the  Sabbath-school, 
three  fourths  of  whom  are  adults,  numbered  three 
hundred  aud  thirty-nine,  and  I  wish  those  whose 
contributions  have  aided  in  planting  this  vine,  could 
have  looked  upon  the  clusters  of  faces  which  were 
studying  the  Book  of  Life,  and  heard  the  hum  of 
voices  asking  and  answering  questions  !  They  would 
have  felt  that  there  are  some  places  where  the  mis- 
sionary work  is  not  a  failure.  The  figures  I  have 
not  by  me,  but  since  Mr.  Walker  has  been  absent, 
the  church  has  increased,  the  congregation  has  in- 
creased ;  and  that  it  is  not  an  idle  increase  is  shown 
by  the  fact,  that  this  one  congregation  has,  in  the 
year  of  the  missionary's  absence,  contributed  four 
hundred  dollars  for  the  support  and  spread  of  the 
Gospel ;  for  schools,  two  hundred  and  forty  ;  for  the 


252     MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

poor  (a  year  of  high  prices  and  great  want),  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five ;  and  for  the  national  head 
at  Constantinople,  forty." 

The  year  1865  was  signalized  hy  the  death  of  two 
Death  of  Mr.  ^^^T  useful  missionaries,  —  Rev.  Edward 
^°^^-  Mills  Dodd,  and  Rev.  Homer  Bartlett  Mor- 

gan, Mr.  Dodd  died  of  cholera  at  Marsovau,  on  the 
19th  of  August.  He  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
and  his  first  labors  were  among- the  Jews  of  Salouica, 
commencing  in  April,  1849.  In  1863,  he  was  trans- 
ferred from  Smyrna  to  Marsovan.  Mr.  Barnum,  of 
Harpoot,  who  was  there  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
speaks  of  him  as  a  sincere  Christian  and  an  earnest 
missionary,  working  up  to  and  often  quite  beyond 
the  strength  of  his  feeble  constitution.  "  His  first 
missionary  language  was  Hebrew-Spanish,  of  which, 
I  have  been  told,  he  had  a  fine  command.  When  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Armenian  work  he  learned 
the  Turkish,  which  he  used  with  much  more  than 
ordinary  correctness  ;  and  some  of  the  best  sermons 
which  I  have  heard  in  that  language  were  from  him. 
He  devoted  considerable  attention  to  Turkish  liym- 
nology,  and  many  of  the  best  of  the  Turkish  hymns 
now  in  use  were  contributed  by  liim."^ 

Mr.  Morgan  died  at  Smyrna  on  the  25th  of  August, 
Death  of  Mr.  ^*  *^^  ^^^  ^^  forty-ouc.  Hc  was  from  the 
^°'^^''°  State  of  New  York,  and  obtained  his  educa- 
tion at  Hamilton  College,  and  at   the  Union   and 

1  See  Missionary  Herald,  1865,  pp.  380-383. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  253 

Auburn  Theological  Seminaries.  He  joined  the  mis- 
sion to  the  Jews  at  Salonica  in  1852.  After  that 
mission  was  relinquished,  he  removed,  in  1856,  to 
Antioch.  Seven  of  the  remaining  nine  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  that  place,  whence  the  great 
Apostle  went  forth  on  his  first  foreign  mission  ;  and 
the  last  two  at  Kessab,  in  a  perfectly  successful  effort 
to  restore  unity  to  a  divided  church.  The  failing 
health  of  Mrs.  Morgan  rendered  a  visit  to  her  native 
laud  imperative.  Being  detained  ten  days  in  the 
malarious  atmosphere  of  Alexandretta  by  the  non- 
arrival  of  their  expected  steamer,  Mr.  Morgan  took 
the  fever.  Supposing  it  to  be  only  an  intermittent, 
they  embarked  for  Marseilles,  but  on  reaching 
Smyrna  he  was  too  ill  to  proceed  farther.  There,  in 
a  missionary  family,  he  had  the  best  of  attendance, 
and  after  a  week  of  delirious  wanderings,  he  finished 
his  earthly  course,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  ceme- 
tery of  the  Dutch  hospital.  His  first  wife  was  taken 
from  him  at  Salonica,  his  first-born  at  Antioch,  a 
second  child  at  Bitias,  and  a  third  at  Kessab ;  and 
the  father  sleeps  in  Smyrna,  his  old  home. 

"  Far  from  thee 
Thy  kindred  and  their  graves  may  be,  — 
And  yet  it  is  a  blessed  sleep. 
Prom  which  none  ever  wakes  to  weep." 

Repeated  bereavements  chastened  the  strong  and 
decided    chai-acter  of    Mr.    Morgan.      He  „.   ^ 

o  Hig  charac- 

grew  in  the  grace  of  patience,  and  in  spir-  **'"■ 
ituality  and  self-abnegation.     He  was  an  indefatiga- 


254      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

ble  worker,  and  was  fitted  to  exert,  as  he  did,  a  com- 
raanding"  influence  on  the  policy  of  the  mission.  He 
soon  made  himself  familiar  with  the  Turkish  lan- 
guage, and  never  wearied  of  studying  its  beautiful 
structure,  and  wrote  some  of  the  best  Turkish  hymns. 
The  well  known  hymn,  — "  Not  all  the  blood  of 
beasts  "  —  he  clothed  with  not  a  little  of  the  strength 
and  power  of  the  original.^ 

The  year  was  also  signalized  by  the  death  of  Rev. 
Death  of  Hohaunes  Der  Sahagyan,  pastor  of  the 
Hohannes.  ^i^uj-gij  jjj  Nicomcdia,  and  widely  known  as 
one  of  the  two  young  men  who  first  attached  them- 
selves to  the  teaching  of  the  missionaries  in  Con- 
stantinople, also  for  his  consistent  piety,  earnest 
zeal,  and  the  severe  persecutions  which  he  suffered 
at  diflferent  periods,  as  a  follower  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

A  scene  at  the  ordination  of  a  native  pastor  at 
Interesting  Perchcuj,  a  village  two  hours  from  Har- 
ordinations.  ^^^^^  graphically  described  by  Mr.  Williams, 
has  its  chronological  place  here.  It  was  in  a  large 
garden,  with  the  pulpit  under  the  wide-spreading 
branches  of  a  mulberry-tree,  and  mats  and  carpets 
spread  out  in  front.  "Around  the  pulpit  sat  the 
council,  —  lay  and  clerical  delegates,  representing 
most  of  the  evangelical  ministry  in  this  part  of  Tur- 
key ;  then  the  regular  Protestants  of  Percheuj,  Har- 
poot,  and  the  villages  about,  to  whom  it  was  a  '  festa,' 
as  was  evident  from  their  dress.  Outside  these  were 
the  partially  committed  ones,  who,  though  they  did 

1  See  Missionary  Herald,  1865,  pp.  383-385. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  255 

not  *  dress  up '  for  the  occasion,  seemed  to  have  taken 
the  day  for  it ;  and  again,  outside  that  company, 
were  men  drawn  in  by  the  interest  of  the  occasion 
from  their  work,  with  their  field  dresses  on,  tools  in 
hand,  leaning  on  their  long  handled  spades,  bending 
forward  to  catch  question  and  answer,  wholly  un- 
conscious of  the  picturesque  finish  they  gave  to  the 
scene. 

"  In  the  afternoon  exercises,  the  pastor  of  Ichme 
and  the  pastor  of  Harpoot  took  prominent  parts. 
The  same  was  expected  also  of  the  pastors  from 
Arabkir  and  Shapik,  but  unfortunately  they  were  not 
present.  The  sermon  was  by  Mr.  Allen,  and  was 
moving  and  efiective.  It  was  very  difficult  to  count 
the  audience,  at  least  from  where  I  was.  If  I  could 
have  exchanged  places  with  some  of  the  boys,  and 
hung  myself  among  the  mulberries,  perhaps  I  could 
have  succeeded  better.  Nothing  in  all  the  exercises 
seemed  so  American  as  the  natural  way  in  which  the 
boys  took  to  the  trees.  We  judged  there  were,  in 
the  forenoon,  about  seven  or  eight  hundred,  and  in 
the  afternoon,  six  or  seven  hundred.  To  the  last, 
everything  was  quiet,  and  all  went  off  pleasantly. 
As  you  know,  the  community  furnish  half  the  pastor's 
salary  from  the  start." 

In  October,  four  months  later,  there  was  an  or- 
dination of  much  interest  at  Cesarea,  where  the 
churches  in  Constantinople,  Marsovan,  Sivas,  and 
Yozgat  were  represented.    It  was  in  one  of  the  most 


256     MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

important  centres  of  influence.  Gregory  the  Illumi- 
nator was  ordained  in  Cesarea,  and  he  went  forth 
from  that  i)lace  to  his  great  work  of  Christianizing 
the  Armenian  nation  nearly  sixteen  hundred  years 
ago.  There  were  born  the  great  church  teachers 
of  Cappadocia,  Basil  of  Cesarea  and  his  brother 
Gregory  of  Nyssa.  In  the  middle  of  the  third  cen- 
tury, the  bishop  of  Cesarea  protested  against  the 
usurpations  of  the  bishop  of  Rome. 

"Wednesday  morning  the  council  met  and  organ- 
ized. The  whole  day  was  given  to  the  examination 
of  the  candidate,  which  was  held  in  the  church,  and 
was  attended  by  from  two  to  three  hundred  persons. 
The  candidate  occupied  three  fourths  of  an  hour 
with  a  statement  of  personal  experience  and  reasons 
for  entering  the  ministry.  This  he  made  in  a  man- 
ner so  clear,  forcible,  and  satisfactory,  that  the 
council  felt  the  need  of  asking  scarcely  a  question. 
To  the  congregation  it  was  especially  impressive, 
showing  how  far  removed  from  the  religion  of  forms, 
to  which  they  have  so  long  been  bound,  is  that  faith 
which  works  by  love.  Three  hours  were  then  de- 
voted to  an  examination  of  his  theological  views,  and 
he  gave  unmistakable  evidence  of  being  a  man  ac- 
customed to  think  for  himself,  —  one  who  has  well- 
defined  opinions,  and  is  prepared  to  defend  them."  ^ 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker,  ha\ing  recruited  their 
Reception  of  health  iu  their  native  land,  were  once  more 

Mr.  and  Mrs. 

Walker.        at  their  post  in  Diarbekir.    Wliat  a  change 

1  Missionary  Herald  for  1866,  p.  .5.3. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  261 

since  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Duumore  ainoug'  that  people 
iu  the  year  1851.  Mr.  Walker  thus  describes  his 
reception  :  "  When  two  or  three  hours  distant  from 
the  city,  we  beg-an  to  be  met  by  companies  on  horse- 
back ;  and  farther  on  by  those  on  slower  mules  and 
donkeys,  and  as  we  neared  the  city,  a  great  company 
of  men,  women,  and  children  gave  us  their  hearty 
*  Hoshgelden '  (word  of  welcome)  ;  and  the  children 
of  one  of  the  schools  stood  in  line  by  the  side  of  the 
road  and  sung  theirs.  Thus  we  were  escorted  by 
two  hundred  or  more,  through  the  gates  of  the  city, 
and  to  our  own  home,  which  was  swept  and  gar- 
nished for  our  coming." 

The  church,  during  a  part  of  Mr.  Walker's  ab- 
sence, had  been  without  the  services  of  its  a  church  in 
native  pastor,  he  being  at  Constantinople  ;   ofVotiT mL 

,  sionary  and 

but  one  of  their  own  number,  who  had  pastor. 
been  educated  at  the  Harpoot  Seminary,  was  en- 
gaged to  supply  the  pulpit,  and  not  a  service  had 
been  omitted.  The  Sabbath-school  never  fell  below 
one  hundred  and  forty.  Divine  goodness  spared  the 
lives  of  the  Protestants,  with  a  single  exception, 
while  fifteen  hundred  persons  were  dying  in  the  city 
of  the  cholera.  The  active  piety  of  the  church 
seemed  to  be  quickened  by  their  trials ;  and  thirty, 
out  of  one  hundred  and  one  members,  were  wont  to 
go  out  two  by  two,  by  appointment,  to  spend  Sab- 
bath evenings  in  religious  conversation  at  different 
houses.     The  result  was  that  their  place  of  worship 


258      MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

became  over-crowded,  and  a  uew  building  was  pre- 
pared for  a  second  congregation  that  would  seat  four 
hundred  and  fifty  persons. 

Miss  Maria  A.  West,  of  the  Western  Turkey  mis- 
sion, spent  the  winter  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Walker, 
and  took  a  very  active  interest  in  the  success  of  the 
women's  weekly  prayer- meetings.  The  attendance 
at  these  meetings  sometimes  arose  to  seventy,  and 
the  results  of  labor  in  this  direction  can  hardly  be 
over-estimated. 

Ararkel,  a  very  valuable  helper  at  one  of  the 
Death  of  a     BitHs  out-statious,  died  iu  August,  1865. 

(Jevof(»l  na-  » 

tivc  aeiper.  Hc  was  a  most  active  opposer  of  the  truth 
when  the  gospel  was  first  preached  iu  Moosh,  but 
one  of  the  first  to  accept  it,  being  convinced  by 
reading  the  Scriptures.  He  was  persecuted  unto 
imprisonment,  but  bore  all  patiently.  Being  natu- 
rally gentle  and  discreet,  he  was  peculiarly  fitted  to 
be  a  pioneer,  and  was  sent  as  a  helper  to  Havadorik, 
a  village  on  the  mountains,  among  Koords,  known 
as  the  dwelling-place  of  thieves  and  robbers.  He 
there  labored  for  two  years,  until  his  death,  with 
much  success.  "  His  mouth,"  says  Mr.  Burbank, 
"  was  always  full  of  evangelical  doctrines.  His 
prayers  were  mingled  with  tears,  and  his  Bible  was 
wet  with  them."  He  died  of  fever,  leaving  two  little 
orphan  boys  and  an  aged  mother  without  any  means 
of  support.  The  Armenians  cheerfully  granted  him 
a  burial  in  their  own  cemetery. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE   ARMENIANS. 

1865-1867. 

An  association  of  native  churches  and   pastors, 
called  the  Harpoot  Evangelical  Union,  was  Harpoot 

Evangelical 

formed  at  Harpoot  near  the  close  of  1865.  union. 
It  was  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a  Home  and  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,  also  of  an  Education  and  Church 
Building-  Society.  It  could  form  new  churches,  or- 
dain and  dismiss  pastors,  grant  licenses  to  preachers, 
and  depose  the  unworthy.  It  was  to  hold  an  annual 
meeting,  and  such  other  meetings  during  the  year 
as  circumstances  might  require.  Aggrieved  church- 
members  might  appeal  to  it  under  certain  limita- 
tions. 

A  similar  association  had  been  formed,  September, 
1864,  by  the  churches  in  the  Broosa  and  ^^^^^  ^^^^^^ 
Nicomedia  districts,  called  "  The  Union  of  ^°'""'^- 
the  Evangelical  Armenian  Churches  of  Bithynia," 
embracing  eight  churches,  and  afterwards  includ- 
ing the  churches  of  Constantinople.  Another  was 
formed  at  Marsovan,  at  the  close  of  1868,  and  called 
"The  Central  Evangelical  Union,"  and  another 
in  Central  Turkey,  called  "  The  Cilicia  Union." 


260     MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

The  eflfect  of  these  org-anizations  has  been  to  eu- 
hxi'f^e  the  views  of  churches  and  miuisters. 

Their  utility. 

aud  make  them  feel  that  the  work  of 
evangelizing  the  people  around  them  belonged 
naturally  to  themselves.  It  also  greatly  developed 
a  spirit  of  self-denying  love  for  their  work  among 
the  pastors  aud  preachers,  aud  a  spirit  of  unity 
and  indepeudence  among  the  churches.  "  Five 
years  ago,"  writes  Mr.  Wheeler  iu  September,  1866, 
"  the  pastor  of  the  Harpoot  church,  now  President 
of  the  Union,  when  we  put  upon  his  people  an  in- 
creased amount  of  his  salary,  inquired,  '  By  what 
right  do  these  men  put  this  burden  on  my  church?' 
But  when,  iu  this  meeting,  a  proposition  was  made 
to  get  the  pastor's  salaries  from  other  sources  than 
their  churches'  treasury,  this  same  man,  aided  by 
the  pastor  at  Arabkir,  so  conclusively  showed  the 
folly  and  hurtfuluess  of  the  proposal,  that  the  mover 
of  it  dropped  it  in  shame.  The  Arabkir  pastor  said : 
*  This  is  to  enable  the  pastor  to  be  independent  of 
the  people,  and  to  say.  What  have  you  given  me 
that  I  should  be  your  servant  ? '  The  force  of  this 
pithy  argument  is  felt  here,  where  ecclesiastics  rule 
and  devour  the  people,  and  where  the  tendency  in 
that  direction  is  so  strong  that  we  need  to  guard 
against  it  in  laying  the  foundations  of  the  churches. 
He  then  went  on  to  show  that  it  would  be  for  the 
good  of  the  churches  to  support  their  pastors.  They 
would  thus  love  and  heed  them  more.     'The  pastor,' 


THE  ARMENIANS.  261 

he  coiitiimed,  '  who  should  get  his  support  from  any 
source  outside  of  his  owu  people,  would  be  beyoud 
their  coutrol.'  lu  a  subsequent  discussion  on  sup- 
porting the  poor  of  the  church,  he  said :  '  I  am 
fully  persuaded,  that  every  church  is  not  only  able 
to  support  its  poor,  but  its  pastor  too.' " 

The  truth  of  this  last  remark  was  strikingly  illus- 
trated by  the  church  in  Shepik,  the  poorest  a  poor 

church  en- 

and  feeblest  in  the  field,  which  for  thirteen  «ched. 
years  had  paid  almost  nothing  for  preaching,  and 
was  supposed  to  be  a  permanent  pensioner  on  mis- 
sionary bounty  ;  but  all  at  once  it  raised  enough  for 
the  support  of  the  preacher,  besides  nearly  two  hun- 
dred dollars  in  gold  for  the  building  of  a  house  of 
worshii).     A  blind  preacher  from  the  Harpoot  Sem- 
inary had  been  the  means  of  this  unexpected  result. 
He  was  known  as  John  Concordance  (Ho-  j^^^(,^^_ 
hannes    Hamapapar),    on    account   of    his  thfwfnd 
wonderful  readiness  in  quoting  Scripture,  p"'"*''^'"'- 
chapter   and  verse.      He  was  sent  to  Shepik,  and 
hearing  the  complaints  of  the  people  about  their 
poor  crops  and  poverty,  replied :  "  God  tells  you  the 
reason  in  the  third  chapter  of  Malachi ;  where  he 
says,  *  Ye  are  cursed  with  a  curse,  for  ye  have  robbed 
me.'  "     Then  taking  for  a  text,  "  Bring  ye  all  the 
tithes  into  the  storehouse,"  etc.,  he  incul-  ^^  germon 
cated   the   duty   and   privilege   of  setting  -*'^«t"'^««- 
apart  at   least  a  tenth  of  their  earnings  for  God. 
The  people  were  convinced,  and  after  paying  half  of 


262     HUSSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

tlieir  crops,  according  to  usage,  to  the  owner  of  the 
soil  for  rent,  and  a  tenth  to  the  government  for 
taxes,  as  they  must  needs  do,  they  gave  another 
tenth  to  the  Lord's  "  storehouse,"  —  a  room  they 
had  set  apart  for  receiving  the  tithes.  And  the 
His  wide  in-  scrmon  of  this  blind  preacher,  and  the  ex- 
fluence.  ample  of  these  poor  people,  have  wrought 
wonders  in  the  land.i 

During  the  year  and  a  half  after  its  formation, 
Meeting  of     tliis  uuiou  held  fivc  gcucral  meetings.   The 

Harpoot 

Union.  last   of   tlicse   was   the    most   interesting. 

Eleven  native  pastors  were  present,  —  from  the  Har- 
poot district,  and  from  Cesarea,  Tocat,  Adiaman,  and 
Cutterbul.  Nearly  all  the  helpers  of  the  Harpoot, 
Diarbekir,  and  Mardin  fields  were  there,  with  twenty 
delegates  from  churches  and  from  congregations 
that  expected  soon  to  have  churches.  There  were 
also  present  the  members  of  the  Theological  school, 
Mr.  Livingston  from  Sivas,  and  Mr.  Williams  from 
Mardin,  who  had  brought  his  students  to  spend  the 
summer  in  the  school  at  Harpoot. 

On  the  15th  of  November,  1866,  Mrs.  Adams  died 
at  Aintab,  of  consumption,  much  lamented.^  Mr. 
Richardson,  on  his  return  from  America,  joined  the 
Broosa  station.  Mr.  Williams  was  then  alone  amid 
the  multitudes  using  the  Arabic  that  centered  around 

1  Mr.  Wheeler's  Ten  Years  on  the  Euphrates,  chap.  x.  For  an  ab- 
stract of  John  Concordance's  sermon  on  Tithes,  preached  at  Harpoot, 
gee  Missionary  Herald  for  1868,  pp.  308-312. 

2  See  Missionary  Herald  for  1867,  p.  98. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  263 

Mardiu  and  Mosul ;  and  Mr.  Walker  was  the  only 
missionary  at  Diarbekir,  with  at  least  a  thousand 
towns  and  villages  in  his  district.  Yet  it  was  a  year 
of  decided  progress  in  Turkey.  The  mis-  Newmission- 
sionary  force  received  an  unwonted  acces-  '"'"'^" 
sion  in  the  years  1866  and  1867.  Five  ordained 
married  missionaries  arrived  in  the  last  of  these 
years,  namely,  Messrs.  Henry  T.  Perry,  Theodore 
Baldwin,  Henry  S.  Barnum,  Charles  C.  Tracy,  and 
Lyman  Bartlett,  with  as  many  unmarried  female  as- 
sistant missionaries,  —  Misses  Roseltha  A.  Norcross, 
Mary  E.  Warfield,  Harriet  Seymour,  Sarah  Ann 
Closson,  and  Mary  G.  HoUister.  Mr.  Henry  O. 
Dwiglit,  son  of  the  distinguished  missionary,  Dr.  H. 
G.  0.  Dwight,  arrived  at  Constantinople  as  secular 
agent,  with  his  wife,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Bliss.  Miss 
Mary  D.  Francis  arrived  in  1866,  and  was  afterwards 
married  to  Mr.  Adams. 

Among  other  signs  of  progress  was  the  increase 
of  newspapers  in  Constantinople,  and  one  j^^^^^^^  ^f 
or  two  other  cities  of  Turkey.  In  Con-  ''«-«p=^p-«- 
stantinople,  five  years  before,  a  newspaper  was  rarely 
seen  in  the  hands  of  any  one  of  the  thousands  of 
persons  passing  up  or  down  the  Bosphorus  and 
Golden  Horn  in  the  steamers  which  take  the  place 
of  the  street  cars  of  Boston  or  New  York.  Now  it 
had  become  a  common  sight,  and  newsboys  thronged 
the  thoroughfares  with  their  papers,  in  Turkish  and 
other  languages.     The  standard  of  journalism  was 


264     iWTSSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

not  high,  but  the  thoughts  of  men  were  stirred. 
The  influence  of  these  papers  was  generally  adverse 
to  the  missionary  work.  Partly  to  counteract  this 
iuflueuce,  the  missionaries  published,  once  a  fort- 
night, a  small  newspaper  called  the  "  Avedaper,"  or 
The"Aveda-  "  Mcssengcr."     It  appeared  alternately  in 

per,"or"Mes-  °  ^^  "^ 

Benger."  tlic  Armenian  and  Armeuo-Turkish  lan- 
guages, and  had  fifteen  hundred  subscribers  scattered 
over  Turkey.  Mr.  E.  E.  Bliss,  the  editor,  estimated 
the  aggregate  of  readers  at  ten  thousand.  One  in- 
cident may  illustrate  its  influence.  A  villager  living 
on  the  Taurus  Mountains  was  so  impressed  with  one 
of  the  sententious  speeches  of  President  Lincoln, 
translated  in  the  paper,  that  he  committed  the  whole 
to  memory,  that  he  might  teach  to  others  its  lessons 
of  "  malice  toward  none,  and  charity  to  all."^ 

The  general  progress  towards  right  religious  opin- 
Division        ions,  had  led  to  a  division  of  the  Arme- 

among  the  ,  •  .  y-v 

Armenians,  niaus  who  remained  in  the  Old  Church  into 
two  parties,  called  the  "  Enlightened  "  and  the  "  Un- 
enlightened." The  former  was  continually  increas- 
ing, and  had  sharp  contests  with  the  Unenlightened 
on  questions  of  clerical  control  in  civil  afl'airs.  Their 
failure  to  secure  even  the  partial  reforms  they  sought 
convinced  them  of  the  necessity  of  more  radical 
changes  ;  and  an  Armenian  paper  announced  a  move- 
Reformed      uicnt  for  the  formation  of  a  Reformed  Ar- 

Armenian  •        •    i  /• 

Church.        menian  Church  ;  on  the  principle  of  restor- 

1  Missionary  Herald  for  1867,  p.  82. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  265 

ing"  the  purity  of  doctrine  and  simplicity  of  worship, 
which  they  supposed  existed  in  their  Church  at  the 
beginning-.  The  same  paper  advocated  the  complete 
separation  of  civil  and  ecclesiastical  aifairs ;  and  an- 
nounced that  a  book  would  soon  be  published,  setting 
forth  the  doctrines  and  proposed  form  of  worship  for 
this  new  church.  The  new  Prayer-book  made  its 
appearance  early  in  1867.     It  contained  a  Reformed 

Prayer- 

Creed  ;  a  Ritual  for  Baptism,  the  Lord's  book. 
Supper,  Ordination,  etc. ;  Forms  for  Daily  Prayer  in 
the  churches ;  and  Hymns  and  Songs.  Judged  by 
the  standard  of  the  New  Testament,  the  book  con- 
tained not  a  few  errors  of  doctrine,  and  sanctioned 
many  superstitious  practices ;  yet  it  was  a  decided 
improvement  upon  the  books  in  use  in  the  Armenian 
Church.  The  Armenians  of  the  Old  Church  regarded 
the  changes  as  very  radical,  and  the  Patriarch  de- 
nounced the  book  officially,  and  warned  his  people 
against  it. 

"  The  most  noteworthy  part  of  the  book  is  its 
Preface,  which  was  printed  last,  and  may  be  regarded 
as  the  platform  of  the  reformed  party.  After  giving 
a  sketch  of  the  history  of  the  Armenian  Church,  its 
original  purity  of  doctrine  and  worship,  and  the 
subsequent  introduction  of  error  and  superstition, 
through  the  influence  of  the  Greek  and  Roman 
Churches,  it  declares  that  the  Armenian  Church  has 
come  at  last  to  be  a  mere  '  satellite  of  Rome,'  and 
that  the  time  has  come  to  assert  its  independence, 


266     MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

to  cast  off  the  *  ultramoutaue  iuflueuce/  to  rescue 
the  Church  of  their  fathers  from  the  '  Papal  claws.* 
Three  particulars  are  then  set  forth  in  which  a 
*  reformation  '  is  needed.  First,  in  reference  to  doc- 
trine. '  The  Armenian  Church  has,'  it  is  said,  '  doc- 
trines introduced  from  abroad,  which  place  faith  in 
respect  to  salvation  upon  a  wrong  foundation,  trans- 
ferring man's  hope  from  God  to  things  created  and 
material.  Means  are  confounded  with  ends,  and  ends 
with  means,  and  thus  a  thick  veil  is  interposed  be- 
tween the  eyes  of  the  people  and  the  simple  doctrines 
of  Christianity.'  Secondly,  '  The  Church  has  now 
rites  and  ceremonies  (unknown  in  purer  times),  which 
are  a  laughing-stock  to  the  unbelieving,  a  grief  to  the 
truly  pious,  an  offense  to  all  enlightened  men,  and 
which  have  converted  our  churches  into  theatres, 
deprived  worship  of  its  spiritual  character,  and  made 
it  like  the  shows  of  a  fair.'  In  the  third  place,  '  The 
present  relations  of  the  clergy  to  the  people  are  op- 
posed to  the  spirit  and  substance  of  Christianity. 
Instead  of  being  teachers,  pastors,  and  fathers  to  the 
people,  they  claim  to  possess  supernatural  authority, 
rule  by  the  terrors  of  that  authority,  teach  the  people 
only  that  which  serves  their  own  purposes,  and  are 
an  obstacle  to  every  good  work.'  "^ 

For  twenty  years  there  had  not  been  such  a  relig- 
consequent  ^^"^  feruieut  iu  Constantinople,  as  there  was 
excitement.    ^^  ^j^^  ^^^^^  ^^  issuiug  this  Reformed  Prayer- 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1867,  pp.  237-239. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  267 

book.  It  was  not  a  revival  of  religion.  The  ques- 
tion was  not,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  but 
"What  did  our  Church  teach  in  the  days  of  its 
purity  ?  "  and  "  What  are  the  doctriues  of  the  Word 
of  God  ?  "  Meanwhile  the  advocates  of  reform  were 
continually  driven  to  take  higher  ground  ;  and  such 
was  their  progress  while  carrying  their  book  through 
the  press,  that  they  were  obliged  to  reprint  some  of 
the  first  sheets,  to  make  them  conform  to  their  new 
convictions.  It  may  be  stated  as  an  illustration,  that 
baptismal  regeneration  was  taught  in  one  of  the 
original  sheets,  but  in  the  reprint  it  was  omitted.^ 
So  far  as  is  known,  this  book  has  never  been  used  in 
any  church ;  but  it  is  an  index  of  the  reform  move- 
ment, and  it  has  been  useful  in  awaking  inquiry. 

Bible-women  began  to  be  employed  in  Constan- 
tinople early  in  1866.  Five  such  women  ^j^j^. 
were  supported  by  funds  derived  from  the  ^°'"®°- 
American  Bible  Society,  and  were  kindly  received  in 
Armenian  families.  They  sold  many  copies  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  met  with  much  encouragement  in 
their  work.  At  this  time,  wherever  missionaries  la- 
bored in  Turkey,  large  numbers  of  women  were  learn- 
ing to  read  the  Bible  ;  and  the  majority  of  them  were 
usually  found  at  the  women's  prayer  meeting. 

The  progress  at  Harpoot,  only  eleven  years  from 
the  commencement  of  the  station,  as  de-  ^j^^g^  ^^^ 
scribed  by  Mr.  Allen,  is  worthy  of  special  ^^H^^Toot. 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1867,  p.  238. 


268      MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

attention.  The  leaven  of  the  gospel  was  permeating 
the  mass  of  the  people.  Many  who  persistently  re- 
fused to  be  called  by  the  unpopular  name  of  "  Prot- 
estant/' were  evidently  under  the  influence  of  evan- 
gelical doctrines.  The  rising  generation  was  growing 
up  with  enlightened  views.  Many  young  men  would 
have  taken  a  stand  at  once  ou  the  side  of  truth,  but 
for  the  difficulty  of  separating  from  their  parents. 
Societies  had  been  formed,  consisting  of  several  hun- 
dred men  not  reckoned  among  the  Protestants,  for 
the  purpose  of  having  good  schools  for  their  children, 
and  plain  practical  preaching  in  their  churches.  The 
magnates  of  one  church  had  closed  its  door  against 
the  native  evangelical  preachers,  and  placed  two 
Turkish  soldiers  to  guard  it.  At  another  church  the 
people  were  more  resolute,  saying,  "  We  built  this 
church,  and  we  will  be  martyred  upon  its  threshold, 
if  necessary  to  defend  our  right  to  have  the  Gospel 
preached  to  us."  At  this  the  chief  men  gave  way, 
contenting  themselves  with  reporting  the  matter  to 
the  Patriarch  at  Constantinople.  As  an  additional 
motive,  the  party  of  progress  threatened  to  attend 
the  services  of  the  missionaries,  if  not  allowed  to 
have  a  service  of  their  owu.^ 

Quite  a  number  of  the  young  men  and  women  in 
Week  of       the  Protcstaut  city  congregation  dated  their 

prayer  at 

Harpoot.       couvcrsiou  from   the  "  Week   of  Prayer. 
This  week  was  duly  observed  at  Harpoot  from  the 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1866,  pp.  169-171, 


THE  ARMENIANS.  269 

first,  and  iu  1866,  with  deeper  religious  feeling,  than 
had  ever  been  seen  before.  The  morning  and  even- 
ing prayer-meetings  were  kept  up  till  the  close  of 
May,  when  it  was  decided  to  discontinue  the  morn- 
ing meetings,  and  to  sustain  the  others  every  day, 
one  hour  before  sunset.  Three  fourths  of  the  con- 
gregation attended  them  regularly,  and  an  earnest 
and  tender  spirit  was  manifest  iu  the  remarks  and 
prayers. 

During  this  same  week  of  prayer,  Messrs.  Bur- 
bank  and  Knapp,  at  Bitlis,  aided  by  the  week  of 

prayer  at 

native  preacher  Simon,  afterwards  pastor  Bitiis. 
of  the  church,  commenced  a  prayer- meeting  at  the 
dawn  of  day,  which  was  so  crowned  with  spiritual 
blessings,  that  it  was  continued,  daily,  for  more  than 
six  months.  The  attendance  increased  from  twenty 
to  sixty,  and  was  at  one  time  nearly  a  hundred.  The 
church  had  then  only  five  members ;  and  at  the 
communion  season  in  March,  each  of  these  five  men 
publicly  confessed  his  sins,  and  formally  renewed  his 
covenant.  Many  were  in  tears.  Some  in  the  con- 
gregation, who  had  thought  themselves  Christians, 
when  they  saw  the  church  thus  making  confession, 
were  amazed,  and  felt  that  they  were  themselves  lost, 
and  literally  cried,  as  did  the  publican,  "  God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

This  was  the  commencement  of  the  first  revival  of 
religion  in  Bitlis.    Two  meetings  were  held  ^3^;^^!  at 
weekly  for  inquirers,  at  which  between  forty-  ^'"'^" 


270    3IISSI0NS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

five  aud  fifty  were  usually  present,  of  whom  from 
fifteen  to  twenty-five  were  women.  "  Among  the 
latter,  was  one  over  seventy  years  of  age,  who,  being 
in  the  previous  winter  too  feeble  to  walk  through 
the  deep  snow  to  attend  the  meetings,  had  been  car- 
ried by  her  stalwart  son.  Now  she  was  a  weeping 
penitent,  seeking  salvation  at  the  foot  of  the  cross, 
and  that  sou  was  rejoicing  in  the  hope  of  salvation." 
Forty  men  usually  attended  the  sunrise  prayer-meet- 
ing. Not  as  many  of  the  fruits  of  this  revival  were 
gathered  into  the  church  as  might  have  been  antici- 
pated, because  of  the  very  high  standard  —  too  high 
it  would  seem  —  which  was  required  for  admission. 
There  had  been  great  progress  at  Broosa.  When 
Broosa  after    Dr.  Scliueider  left  that  place  in  1849,  on 

seventeen  »  •  i 

years.  his  rcuioval  to  Aiutab,  no  church  had  been 

formed,  and  his  audience  never  exceeded  fifteen  na- 
tives, and  sometimes  it  was  not  more  than  eight. 
No  Protestant  community  had  been  formed,  and  in 
those  days  of  fierce  opposition  very  few  were  ready 
to  face  the  consequences  of  an  open  acknowledgment 
of  what  they  were  convinced  was  the  truth.  But  he 
found  all  this  passed  away,  on  his  visit  there  in  1866. 
There  was  then  a  church  of  fifty  members,  and  a 
Protestant  community  of  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
chiefly  young  men  of  enterprise,  and  a  Sabbath  con- 
gregation of  one  hundred  and  fifty.  They  had  a 
beautiful  house  of  worship,  a  prosperous  day-school, 
and  an  excellent  native  pastor.     There  were  many 


THE  ARMENIANS.  271 

whose  beards  made  them  venerable.  Dr.  Schneider 
believed  that  half  the  Armenians  in  the  city  were 
convinced  of  the  truth. 

The  first  evangelical  church  in  Turkey,  composed 
of  Greeks,  was  organized  by  the  Union  of  First  evan- 

gelical  Greek 

Bithynia  at  Demirdesh,  in  November,  1867.  church. 
Mr.  Kalopothakes  was  present  from  Athens.  The 
church  was  composed  exclusively  of  evangelical 
Greeks,  and  six  of  its  thirteen  members  were  women. 
Pastor  Hohannes  of  Bilijik,  on  behalf  of  the  Union, 
welcomed  them  to  the  fellowship  of  the  churches ; 
which  he  said  had  been  lost  through  the  departure 
of  the  Greeks  and  Armenians  from  the  gospel,  but 
was  now  recovered.  The  preacher  was  a  Greek,  and 
a  native  of  the  place.^ 

The  mission  was  sorely  afflicted  in  September  by 
the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Walker  of  Diar-  -^^^^  ^^  j^^ 
bekir.  The  cholera  was  prevalent  in  that  ^'''^" 
city,  and  seemed  to  follow  no  laws.  In  the  previous 
year,  it  had  been  almost  wholly  among  the  Moham- 
medans ;  but  this  year,  it  prevailed  most  in  the 
Christian  population.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  re- 
moved to  a  khan  outside  the  walls.  "  His  last  ser- 
mons were  from  the  texts  '  The  Master  has  come, 
and  calleth  for  thee ; '  and  '  Except  ye  repent,  ye 
shall  all  likewise  perish.'     On  Monday,  September 

1  The  members  of  the  church  formed  at  Hasbeiya  in  1851  (p.  376 
of  vol.  1st)  were  seceders  from  the  Greek  Church,  but  were  regarded 
by  the  Syrian  mission  as  of  the  Arab  race. 


272    MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

10th,  he  weut  into  the  city,  spendiug  some  time 
over  one  stricken  with  cholera,  besides  customary 
duties.  Tuesday  morning,  after  a  somewhat  restless 
night,  he  rose  as  usual,  and  proposed  a  mission  ex- 
cursion to  Cutterbul,  but  was  persuaded  to  remain 
at  home  and  rest.  The  premonitory  symptoms  soon 
appeared,  but  nothing  peculiarly  alarming,  and  as 
he  had  been  held  back  from  over-exertion,  and  been 
very  careful  iu  diet,  all  were  full  of  hope.  At  the 
first  whisper  of  illness  the  Christians  gathered  to 
aid,  and  the  faithful  Shemmas,  without  Mrs.  Walk- 
er's knowledge,  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Williams,  who 
started  from  Mardin  at  one  o'clock,  p.  m.,  on 
Wednesday,  and  riding  all  night  reached  Diarbekir 
after  sunrise  to  find  that  six  hours  before,  September 
13,  1866,  his  brother  had  gone  'to  be  with  Christ.'" 
His  age  was  forty-five. 

"  Diarbekir  was  filled  with  mourning.  Not  Prot- 
estants alone,  but  Moslems  and  Armenians, 
all  were  stricken.  Such  a  funeral,  as  of 
one  who  was  a  father  to  all,  was  never  witnessed 
there  before.  The  native  preacher  conducted  it  ap- 
propriately and  tenderly,  praying  not  only  for  the 
stricken  there,  but  for  those  in  his  native  land  who 
would  so  feel  the  loss."  ^ 

Mr.  Walker  was  one  of  the  best  of  missionaries. 
His  charac-  "  ^^^  Warm  aud  affectionate  nature,"  says 
**'"■  Mr.  Barnum,  "  quickly  gained  the  hearts 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1867,  pp.  33-37. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  273 

of  the  people  wherever  he  went.  His  g-reat  desire 
was  to  see  men  coming  to  Jesus  ;  and  this  he  never 
forg-ot,  whether  at  home  or  abroad.  I  have  been 
with  him  not  a  little,  and  seldom  have  I  seen  an 
opportunity  for  a  personal  appeal,  though  only  for  a 
moment,  pass  unimproved." 

The  tribute  to  Mr.  Walker's  memory  from  his 
brother  Williams,  of  Mardin,  who  knew  him  well, 
and  has  so  lately  followed  him  into  the  eternal  world 
must  not  be  omitted. 

"  His  peculiar  gifts  were  three  :  —  1.  He  remem- 
bered faces,  and  recalled  the  names  which  belonged 
to  them.  He  knew  everybody.  Ordinarily  he  need- 
ed to  meet  a  man  but  once  to  recognize  him  ever 
after.  And  this  pleases  men ;  it  appeals  to  their 
self-appreciation ;  they  feel  that  they  have  made  a 
1  iuianent  impression.  Especially  is  this  a  power 
among"  a  people  who  look  up  to  the  missionary  as 
occupying  a  higher  plane  of  civilization.  It  gives 
him  a  vast  influence  over  them. 

"  2.  Partly  as  the  result  of  this,  but  still  distinct 
and  beyond  it,  he  had  a  marvelous  faculty  of  making 
every  man  feel  that  he  was  especially  an  object  of 
personal  interest.  Perhaps  not  that  he  alone  was 
such,  but  that  he  was  one  of  those  taken  into  the 
inner  sanctum  of  his  aflFections.  Love  begets  love, 
and  believing  that  they  were  so  dear  to  him,  he  was 
soon  very  dear  to  them.     And  he  was  never  lacking* 


274      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

ill  the  outward  expression  of  love.  He  was  not 
afraid  they  would  think  he  loved  them  too  much. 

"  3.  He  always  had  something  to  say.  I  suppose 
there  is  some  good  done  by  public  preaching,  but  it 
is  the  preacher  who  is  ready,  in  the  face-to- face  op- 
portunity, who  comes  home  laden  with  sheaves.  Mr. 
Walker  was  always  ready.  Meet  a  man  when  he 
might,  where  he  might,  just  the  right  word  was  on 
his  tongue.  And  that  warm  grip  of  his  hand,  into 
how  many  souls  has  it  infused  a  new  and  spiritual 
life.  So  he  begot  his  children  in  the  gospel ;  and 
by  his  sermons,  which  were  always  thoughtful,  he 
built  them  up  into  Christian  characters,  as  a  work- 
man who  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed.  Our  Cutter- 
bul  deacon  says  to  me  since  his  death,  '  I  never  saw 
such  a  man.'  When  he  left  for  Constantinople  in 
1859,  perhaps  one  hundred  men  waited  upon  him 
out  of  the  city,  and  he  spoke  to  every  one,  and  re- 
peated nothing,  but  had  a  special  word  for  each, 
exactly  adapted  to  his  case." 

Mrs.  Walker  returned  to  the  United  States,  with 
Mrs.waiker's  ^^^'  four  cliildrcn,  iu  the  following  summer, 
return  home.  ^^^  Yiq,s  siucc  bccn  rccoguizcd,  —  in  con- 
nection with  a  benevolent  lady  in  New  York  city,  — 
as  sustaining  a  relation  of  maternal  guardianship  to 
returned  children  of  missionaries. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  Mr.  Wheeler  and  others 
Acontrastat  ^^^^  ^  visit  to  Chooukoosh,  two  days'  jour- 
choonkoosh.  jjgy  f^.^^  Harpoot.     Many  of  the  people 


THE  ARMENIANS.  T15 

came  several  miles  to  welcome  them,  and  crowds 
escorted  them  into  the  city.  "  Nine  years  ago," 
says  Mr.  Wheeler,  "  I  made  my  first  visit  here  in 
company  with  brother  Dun  more,  and  we  were  hooted 
at,  stoned,  and  at  last  driven  from  our  room,  in  the 
pouring  rain  and  splashing  mud  of  a  dark  night." 
Now,  every  house  seemed  open  to  receive  them. 
"  Their  new  place  for  Protestant  worship  testified  to 
the  remarkable  change.  The  men  had  brought  all 
the  timber,  by  hand,  a  distance  of  from  three  to  five 
miles,  and  it  sometimes  required  thirty  men  to  bring 
one  piece.  Women  and  children  brought  water, 
earth,  and  stones;  and  women  were  still  busy  in 
plastering  the  walls,  so  that  a  meeting  might  be  held 
there  before  we  left !  "  ^ 

The  foreign  missionary  spirit  was  being  developed. 
The   Harpoot  Evangelical  Union  resolved  a  foreign 

mission  re- 

at  Diarbekir,  in  1866,  to  send  a  mission  solved  upon. 
into  the  wild  region  eastward  of  that  city,  where 
the  Armenians,  living  among  the  Koords,  had  lost 
all  knowledge  of  both  the  Armenian  and  Turkish 
languages,  and  were  in  the  grossest  darkness.  A 
dozen  small  churches,  with  a  membership  of  hardly 
more  than  five  hundred,  undertook  to  educate  seven 
young  men  to  go  as  their  missionaries,  and  the 
movement  excited  much  enthusiasm.  At  the  same 
time,  the  home  missionary  spirit  received  strength. 
The  brethren  at  Harpoot  were  endeavoring  to  oc- 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1867,  p.  108. 


276     MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

cupy  fifty  or  more  stations,  within  their  home  field, 
at  most  of  which  there  were  a  few  persons  somewhat 
enlightened  and  more  or  less  desirous  of  instruc- 
tion. 

A  blessing"  followed.  The  week  of  prayer,  in  the 
New  revival  opcuiug  of  1867,  was  sigualizcd  by  a  revival 
atHarpoot.  ^^  Harpoot.i  Thcrc  were  indications  of 
deep  feeling  in  the  church ;  and  on  one  of  the  last 
days  of  the  week,  three  of  the  most  prominent  men 
in  the  community  openly  identified  themselves  with 
the  Protestants.  One  of  these,  named  Sarkis  Agha, 
became  a  very  active  and  useful  Christian.  Feeling 
that  he  had  been  a  stumbliug'-block  to  others,  he 
lost  no  time  in  going  to  the  market,  and  inviting 
twelve  or  fifteen  of  his  most  intimate  friends,  all 
men  of  influence,  to  his  place  of  business,  and  tell- 
ing them  of  his  change  of  feeling.  He  expected 
only  ridicule,  but  the  majority  were  affected  to  tears, 
and  requested  him  to  read  the  Bible  and  pray  with 
and  for  them. 

It  was  winter,  and  the  travelling  was  very  bad. 
The  revival  ^^  *^^^^  ^^^^J  could  uot  rcach  thc  more  dis- 
extended.  ^^^^^  out-stations  ;  but  the  members  of  the 
church  visited  the  principal  ones  on  the .  plain. 
Among  these  was  Hooeli,  about  ten  miles  distant, 
where  Mr.  Barnum  spent  two  days.  The  whole 
congregation  appeared  to  be  interested,  prayer-meet- 

1  An  interesting  account  of  this  revival,  by  Miss  Maria  A.  West, 
may  be  found  in  the  Missionari/  Herald  for  1867,  pp.  139-142. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  277 

ing-s,  morning"  and  evening,  were  attended  by  from  a 
bnndred  and  twenty  to  two  hundred  persons ;  and 
through  the  entire  day,  till  nearly  midnight,  the 
room  of  the  missionary  was  thronged  with  inquirers. 
A  large  number  of  those  with  whom  he  conversed, 
appeared  to  be  truly  regenerated.  Mr.  Wheeler,  on 
the  following  Sabbath,  found  the  interest  more  wide- 
spread. Four  hundred  persons  crowded  into  the 
chapel,  and  listened  with  fixed  attention. 

Three  years  before,  there  was  not  a  Protestant  in 
the  place.  One  year  before,  at  the  dedica-  Ti^e  past  and 
tion  of  the  chapel,  when  three  hundred  '''^"'"*- 
and  fifty  persons  were  present,  the  audience  was  so 
rude  that  there  was  the  greatest  difficulty  in  pre- 
serving quiet.^  Both  men  and  women  were  now 
quiet  and  serious  listeners.  A  still  larger  attend- 
ance was  reported  on  the  following  Sabbath,  when 
more  than  a  hundred  failed  of  getting  into  the  house 
of  worship.     There  was  also  a  revival  of  consider- 

1  Mr.  Barnum  thus  describes  Miss  Fritcher's  meeting  with  seventy 
or  eighty  females  in  this  place,  two  years  before  :  "  The  chapel  was 
nearly  full  of  women,  all  sitting  on  the  floor,  and  each  one  crowding 
up  to  get  as  near  her  as  possible.  They  were  very  much  like  a  hive 
of  bees.  The  slightest  thing  would  set  them  all  in  commotion,  and 
they  resembled  a  town  meeting  more  than  a  religious  gathering. 
When  a  child  cried  it  would  enlist  the  energies  of  half  a  dozen  women, 
with  voice  and  gesture  to  quiet  it.  "When  some  striking  thought  of 
the  speaker  flashed  upon  the  mind  of  some  woman,  she  would  begin  to 
explain  it  in  no  moderate  tones  to  those  about  her,  and  this  would  set 
the  whole  off  into  a  bedlam  of  talk,  which  it  would  require  two  or 
three  minutes  to  quell." 


278     MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

able  power  at  Perchenj,  another  out-station,  seven 

miles  from  Harpoot. 

Human  nature  is  everywhere  essentially  the  same. 

Effect  of  ^^^^  people  of  Hooeli  heing  thus  streug-th- 
prosperity.     ^^^^^^^  ^j^^^,^  ^^-^j^  ^  jj^^j^  ^j^  ^^,^^  abroad, 

erected  a  larger  and  finer  house  of  worship,  and  then 
began  to  desire  a  new  minister.  Their  humble  and 
earnest  but  not  eloquent  preacher,  whose  labors  God 
had  so  blessed  among  them,  would  do,  they  said,  to 
gather  the  lambs,  but  not  to  feed  the  sheep.  Con- 
trary to  the  advice  of  the  missionaries,  they  called 
two  popular  men  of  the  graduating  class,  one  after 
the  other,  but  both  declined,  choosing  harder  fields. 
"  Meanwhile  their  preacher  was  called  to  another 
place,  and  the  people  came  to  the  city,  with  their 
donkeys,  to  take  him  and  his  family  home.  These 
were  quietly  sleeping  at  his  house,  expecting  to  start 
on  the  morrow,  when,  at  midnight,  nine  of  the  prin- 
cipal men  of  Hooeli  roused  him  from  sleep,  and  be- 
gan to  beg  pardon  for  their  rejection  of  him,  saying, 
'  Come,  get  your  goods  in  readiness,  and  go  with  us.' 
It  seems  that  they  took  their  failure  to  secure  the 
others  as  a  rebuke  from  God  for  their  pride ;  and 
The  Recov-  ^aviug  mct  to  pray,  sent  these  nine  men  to 
^"^  ask  pardon   of  Garabed   in   person,  while 

•others  wrote  letters  asking  his  forgiveness,  and  beg- 
ging him  to  come  back.  Both  parties  then  appealed 
to  the  missionaries,  who  declined  to  interfere,  ad- 
vising them  to  pray  and  decide  the  matter  among 


THE  ARMENIANS.  279 

tliemselves.  They  agreed  to  accept  the  preacher's 
decision  as  God's  will,  and  he  after  prayer  and  re- 
flection, decided  to  return  to  his  old  people.  In  the 
mean  time,  twenty  of  the  women  of  Hooeli,  impatient 
at  the  delay,  met  also  for  prayer,  and  with  difficulty 
were  prevented  from  going  in  a  body  to  take  their 
old  pastor  home.  But  the  brethren  kept  them  back, 
and  when  at  length  he  reached  the  village,  no  other 
preacher  ever  had  such  an  ovation  in  all  that  region, 
within  the  memory  of  man."  ^ 

1  Ten  Years  on  the  Euphrates,  pp.  278-280. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE   NESTOEIANS. 

1864-1868. 

Deacon  Isaac,  brother  of  the  Patriarch,  died  in 
Death  and  ^^^  carlj  autumu  of  1864,  universally  la- 
D^acon**'"^  raented.  In  character,  as  well  as  position, 
he  was  a  prince  among  his  people.  I 
abridge  the  account  of  him  by  Mr.  Rhea,  who  loved 
him  as  a  friend.^  Seen  in  his  plain  dress  and  simple 
manners,  no  one  would  have  thonght  of  him  as  once 
the  mountain  chieftain,  ready  to  break  a  lance  with 
Koordish  robbers.  Growing  up  amid  some  of  the 
grandest  scenery  in  the  world,  it  had  its  effect  on 
his  character ;  and  that  character  the  grace  of  God 
moulded  into  symmetry  and  beauty.  His  intellect 
was  strong,  his  insight  into  human  nature  remark- 
able. The  wily  Persian  official,  baffled  by  him  and 
mortified,  exclaimed :  "  We  cannot  manage  him." 
While  he  was  accessible  to  little  children,  and  poor 
distressed  women,  there  was  a  dignity  which  pre- 
vented undue  familiarity.  The  Patriarchal  family 
were  proud  of  him.  He  grew  up  in  a  land  where  it 
was  no  shame  for  noblemen  to  lie,  yet  always  spoke 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1865,  p.  45. 


THE  NESTORIANS.  281 

the  truth.  He  lived  where  bribery  was  practiced  un- 
blushingl)^,  and  his  house  was  a  court-room  for  the 
settlement  of  numberless  cases  of  litigation,  yet  he 
took  no  reward  for  his  services,  much  less  to  pervert 
justice.  "  He  grew  up  where  little  deference  was  i)aid 
to  woman  ;  yet  took  pride  in  showing-  his  respect  for 
his  wife  Marta,  —  mentioning  her  name,  quoting  her 
opinions,  and  treating  her  with  the  utmost  kindness. 
Their  relation  was  a  beautiful  example  of  conjugal 
attachment,  of  untold  worth  in  such  a  land  and 
among  such  a  people.  He  was  naturally  of  a  proud 
spirit,  that  could  not  brook  an  insult.  Once,  when 
insulted  by  a  French  Lazarist,  he  sprung  to  his  feet, 
and  put  his  hand  to  the  hilt  of  his  sword ;  but  from 
that  day  he  never  wore  the  sword  again." 

Miss  Fidelia  Fiske  died  at  Shelburne,  Massachu- 
setts, the  place  of  her  birth,  July  26th,  1864,  Death  and 
at  the  age  of  forty-eight.  She  both  studied  Miss  Fiske. 
and  taught  at  the  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  and 
partook  largely  of  the  spirit  of  its  founder,  the  well- 
known  Mary  Lyon.  She  embarked  at  Boston  in 
March,  1843,  in  company  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stoddard,  and  some  others,  and  reached 
Oroomiah  in  June.  After  laboring  there  with  un- 
precedented success  as  the  Principal  of  the  Seminary 
for  fourteen  years,  the  state  of  her  health  constrained 
her  return  to  the  United  States  in  1858. 

Up  to  her  arrival  at  Oroomiah,  the  school  had  only 
day  scholars,  and  the  pupils  were  of  course  in  ha- 


282      MISSTONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

bitual  contact  with  the  vice  and  degradation  of  their 
homes.  She  sought  to  make  it  a  boarding-school ; 
and  after  two  years  the  prejudices  of  the  people  had 
been  overcome,  and  the  day  scholars  were  all  dropped. 
Her  grand  object  was  the  salvation  of  her  pupils, 
and  of  their  relatives  who  visited  the  institution. 
After  the  first  revival,  in  1846,  the  school  became  the 
centre  of  holy  influence  for  the  women.  She,  and 
her  worthy  associate  Miss  Rice,  found  enough  to  do, 
day  and  uight.  When  they  went  to  a  village,  the 
women  expected  to  be  called  together  for  prayer ; 
and  when  these  women  returned  the  visit,  they  asked 
to  be  prayed  with  alone.  There  was  a  revival  almost 
every  year  of  her  stay  at  Oroomiah  ;  and  probably 
few  servants  of  Christ  have  had  more  occasion  for 
gratitude,  in  being  the  means  of  bringing  others  to 
him,  than  Miss  Fiske.  When  leaving  Oroomiah  on 
her  return  home,  the  many  women  and  girls  who 
gathered  around  to  bid  her  farewell,  asked  "  Can  we 
not  have  one  more  prayer- meeting  before  you  go, 
and  in  that  Bethel?" — meaning,  her  own  room. 
There  they  prayed,  that  their  teacher  "  might  come 
back  to  mingle  her  dust  with  her  children's  dust, 
hear  the  trumpet  with  them,  and  with  them  go  up 
to  meet  the  Lord."  They  were  accustomed  to  style 
her  " mother,"  and  themselves  her  "children." 

Her  usefulness  after  her  return  to  the  United 
States,  was  probably  as  great  as  it  ever  had  been. 
This  was  not  owing  to  the  predominance  of  any  one 


THE  NESTORIANS.  283 

quality  iu  her  character,  but  to  a  combination  of 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart  surpassing  anything  I 
have  ever  seen  iu  any  other  person.  Her  emotional 
nature  was  wonderfully  sanctified,  and  each  of  her 
powers  being  well  developed,  and  all  nicely  adjusted 
one  to  another,  the  whole  worked  with  regularity 
and  ease.  Hence  that  singular  accuracy  of  judg- 
ment, and  that  never-failing  sense  of  propriety,  for 
which  she  was  distinguished.  Hence  the  apparent 
absence  of  fatigue  in  her  protracted  conversations 
and  conversational  addresses.  Hence  the  habitual 
control  of  her  sanctified  affections  over  her  intellect- 
ual powers,  so  that  she  seemed  ever  ready,  at  the 
moment,  for  the  call  of  duty,  and  especially  to  meet 
the  claims  of  perishing  souls.  She  seemed  to  me 
the  nearest  approach  I  ever  saw,  in  man  or  woman, 
in  the  structure  and  working  of  her  whole  nature, 
to  my  ideal  of  the  blessed  Saviour,  as  he  appeared  in 
his  walks  on  earth. 

The  amount  of  her  usefulness  was  as  extraordinary 
as  her  character,  and  probably  the  tidings  of  no  death 
have  awakened  so  many  voices  of  lamentation  over 
the  plain  of  Oroomiah,  and  in  the  glens  of  Koordis- 
tan.i 

Another  death  occurred  this  year,  which  was  also 
sensibly  felt  by  the  mission.     It  was  that  Death  ot 

Deacon 

of  Deacon  Joseph,  of  Degala.     Dr.  Perkins  Joseph. 

1  See  Woman  and  her  Saviour  in  Persia,  by  Dr.  Thomas  Laurie,  and 
The  Cross  and  the  Crown,  or  Faith  working  by  Love,  as  exemplified  in 
the  Life  of  Fidelia  Fiske,  by  Dr.  D.  T.  Fiske. 


284    MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

lamented  the  loss  of  bis  services  in  connection  with 
the  press,  a  kind  of  labor  for  which  his  qualifications 
were  unequaled  among  the  people.  His  well-bal- 
anced mind,  his  fine  scholarship,  the  solidity  of  his 
Christian  character,  his  eminent  services  in  this 
department,  especially  the  very  important  assistance 
he  rendered  in  translating-  the  Old  Testament  from 
the  original  Hebrew,  would  have  secured  him  an 
honorable  position  in  more  enlightened  lands. 

In  1863  and  1864  Mr.  Shedd  made  extended  tours 
Mountain  ^"  ^^^^  uiountain  field.  In  the  first,  he 
*""'^  crossed  to  Mosul,  and  from  Oroomiah  to 

Amadia  he  travelled  mostly  on  foot,  in  native  snow- 
shoes  and  moccasins,  with  much  fatigue  and  ex- 
posure. At  Mosul,  he  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of 
Mr.  Rassam,  and  had  conferences  with  Mr.  Williams 
of  Mardin.  The  second  tour  was  in  the  autumn, 
and  extended  as  far  as  Tiary.^  The  mountaineers 
may  be  viewed,  he  says,  in  two  very  different  lights ; 
first,  as  feeble,  unreasonable,  and  lawless ;  poverty 
stricken,  and  lacking  in  self-respect,  and  self-reli- 
ance ;  connecting  their  interest  in  spiritual  things 
too  often  with  the  hope  of  temporal  benefits.  Then 
there  are  constant  feuds  between  villages,  clans,  and 
chiefs.  The  hopeful  side  is  in  the  great  preparatory 
work  that  has  been  accomplished,  the  general  friend- 
liness of  the  people,  and  the  growing  influence  of 
the  mission    helpers.     The    following   tabular  view 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1863,  pp.  358-363:  1864,  p.  231, 


THE  NESTORIANS. 


285 


will    give    some  idea  of  the  mountain   work  in   its 
incipient  state,  for,  in  some  important  re-  ^^^  ^^^^_ 
spects,  it  was  in  that  state  as  late  as  the  '"°  ^''^^' 
year  1863 :  — 


OCCDPIE 

1 

B  Dis-      d 

1 

1 

3 

1 

j3 

11 

1 

1 

.a 

1 
1 

1 

8 
1 

1 
1 

1 

1 

TRIG 

rs.          ■$ 

o 
"3 

Ij 

li 

1    . 

'si 

II 

II 

!i 

1 

eg 

i 

i2 

1 

1 

■s 

II 

a 

1 

1 

^ 

s" 

1852 

6^ 

,=" 

oa> 

6 

of* 

^ 

n 

!21 

4 

20 

5 

88 

3 

42 

2 

'<5 

21 

!2; 
550 

15 

20 

Is 

Gawar 

.   .     - 

2 

Tekhoma 

.     .      6 

4000 

1856 

6 

3 

55 

2 

25 

- 

10 

250 

7 

1 

Amadia 

.     .      6 

- 

1857 

5 

3 

55 

25 

1 

8 

100 

4 

9 

Kakan 

.    .      3 

250 

1861 

3 

1 

15 

8 

- 

5 

50 

1 

- 

Nerwa 

.    .      4 

300 

1862 

3 

1 

10 

7 

- 

5 

50 

1 

1 

Jeloo   . 

.     .      - 

- 

1862 

9 

2 

90 

75 

1 

28 

560 

9 

2 

Berwer 

•    •      - 

- 

1863 

^ 

10 

1 

35 

25 

- 

3 

100 

- 

- 

Total 

■    •      - 

- 

18 

56 

16 

348 

11 

207 

4 

80 

1660 

42 

15 

Mr.  Shedd  visited  the  young  Patriarch,  in  his  sec- 
ond tour.     The  leaders  whom  he  met  there  visit  to  the 

young  Patri- 

from  different  mountain  districts,  were  sur-  arch. 
prised  hy  the  friendship  shown  to  the  missionaries 
by  Mar  Shimon,  and  that  they  heard  not  a  word 
against  them  in  the  Patriarchal  mansion.  There 
were  frequent  interchanges  of  visits,  and  Mr.  Shedd 
was  assured  that  the  young  Patriarch  was  well  dis- 
posed towards  the  mission  and  its  labors.    But  there 


286     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

was  no  evidence  that  he  had  any  real  conviction  of 
the  truth. 

The  seminary  pupils  were  now  working  on  a 
The  seminary  hig^i^r  level.  To  a  large  extent,  the  pupils 
for  girls.  Ms^QYQ  daughtcrs  of  Nestorian  helpers  and 
other  pious  parents,  who  had  given  them  a  Christian 
training.  The  contrast  was  striking  between  their 
general  appearance  and  that  of  the  earlier  classes 
in  that  favored  school.  A  considerable  part  of  the 
expense  was  now  met  by  the  parents  of  the  pupils. 

The  Rev.  Austin  H.  Wright,  M.  D.,  was  the  im- 
Greatuse-      mediate    medical  successor  of  Dr.  Grant, 

fulness  of  ^-.  . 

Dr.  Wright,  at  Oroomiah,^  where  he  arrived  July  25, 
1840.  To  be  thoroughly  furnished  for  his  work, 
he  determined  to  master  the  Turkish,  Syriac,  and 
Persian  languages;  and  it  was  doubtless  his  perfect 
acquaintance  with  these,  coupled  with  his  knowledge 
of  medicine,  and  the  gentle  courtesy  of  his  manners, 
that  gave  him  so  much  influence  among  all  classes 
of  the  people.  "  The  influence  of  Di».  Wright  in 
Oroomiah,"  said  an  intelligent  Nestorian,  "  is  that 
of  a  Prince."  He  is  said  to  have  spoken  each  of 
the  languages  above  named  with  a  precision,  fluency, 
and  grace,  rarely  equaled  by  a  foreigner.  In  con- 
sequence of  this  proficiency,  the  intercourse  with 
the  higher  classes  was  to  a  great  extent  in  his  hands, 
Persian  gentlemen,  polite  and  courteous  in  the  ex- 

1  For  a  biographical  account  of  Dr.  Wright,  see  Missionary  Herald 
for  1865,  pp.  129-134. 


THE  NESTORIANS.  287 

treme,  appreciated  the  dignified  yet  simple  ease  and 
grace  with  which  he  met  them.  Having  gone  out 
alone,  he  was  united  in  marriage  June  13,  1844,  to 
Miss  Catherine  E.  Myers,  who  joined  the  mission  in 
1843,  and  was  then  engaged  in  teaching.  After 
twenty  years  his  health  and  the  interests  of  his 
family  demanded  a  visit  to  his  native  land.  Here 
he  remained  four  years,  devoting  the  latter  half  of 
that  time  to  a  revision  of  the  Syriac  New  Testament, 
preparatory  to  its  being  electrotyped  and  printed  in 
pocket  form  by  the  American  Bible  Society.  To 
this  the  Psalms  were  afterward  added.  Mrs.  Wright 
and  four  of  the  children  remained  in  this  country  ; 
but  taking  with  him  his  eldest  daughter  Lucy,  he 
returned  to  Oroomiah  in  September,  1864.  His 
return  was  joyful  to  him,  and  to  the  mission,  and  no 
less  so  to  the  Nestorians;  but  in  three  short  months 
the  summons  came,  calling  him  to  a  higher  service. 
It  had  been  arranged  that  he  and  Mr.  Rhea^ 
should  translate  the  Scriptures  into  Tartar- 

His  death. 

Turkish  for  the  benefit  of  the  Mussulman 
population  of  Azerbijan   and   the  regions  beyond; 
but  Dr.  Wright's  work  was  finished.     His  disease 
was  typhoid  fever,  and  during  much  of  his  sickness 
he  was  unconscious. 

In  the  twenty-five  years  of  his  service,  he  per- 
formed a  great  variety  of  labors,  —  as  a  preacher,  a 
physician,  a  co-laborer  in  the  department  of  the 
press,  and,  not  least,  as  a  shield  to  the  poor  oppressed 


288     MISSIONS  TO  THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Nestoriaus ;  for  he  was  greatly  respected  by  their 
Mobammedau  rulers.  And  these  duties  he  performed 
with  marked  ability,  scrupulous  fidelity,  aud  au  al- 
most unerring  judgment. 

In  this  year,  also,  died  the  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Am- 
DeathofMr.  t)rose,  ou  the  19th  of  August.  The  three 
Ambrose.  years  he  spent  in  the  mountains  were  to 
him  years  of  suflfering,  the  result  of  an  ardent  mental 
and  moral  temperament,  as  well  as  of  the  labors  he 
performed.  He  returned  home  in  1861,  hoping  to 
resume  his  missionary  work ;  but  feeling  that  his 
country  had  claims  upon  him,  and  receiving  an  un- 
solicited appointment  as  chaplain  of  a  New  Hamp- 
shire regiment,  he  entered  the  service,  was  wounded 
while  passing  from  entrenchments  to  a  hospital,  and 
after  a  few  weeks  died  in  the  General  Hospital  at 
Fortress  Monroe.  In  his  relations  to  the  mission 
and  the  Nestorian  people,  he  beautifully  exemplified 
the  spirit  of  his  Lord,  in  not  desiring  "to  be  minis- 
tered unto,  but  to  minister." 

The  harvests  of  1865  were  abundant,  but  there  had 
Nestorian  ^^^^  &  famine  in  several  of  the  previous 
Tagrancy.  ^  ygars ;  aud  this  had  given  a  stimulus  to  the 
vagrancy,  so  frequent  and  annoying  among  the  Nes- 
toriaus. "  Of  the  four  thousand  vagabonds,"  writes 
Dr.  Perkins,  "  from  the  less  tbau  forty  thousand 
Nestorians  of  Oroomiah,  who  made  want  their  pre- 
text for  scattering  themselves  over  Russia  and  other 
parts  of  Europe,  as  common  beggars,  hardly  less 


THE  NESTORIANS.  289 

greedy  for  lucre  aud  for  vice,  than  are  locusts  for 
every  g-reeu  thing-,  only  a  moiety  return  ;  many  dying 
in  those  distant  regions,  from  diseases  induced  by 
strange  climates,  or  oftener  by  criminal  indulgence ; 
and  many  who  survive,  lying  in  prison  for  crimes,  or 
preferring  their  vagabond  life  to  the  decent  restraints 
of  home.  Many  who  do  return  are  worse  than  lost 
to  their  people ;  coming  only  to  spread  a  moral  pes- 
tilence, being  thoroughly  demoralized ;  recklessly 
squandering  their  ill-gotten  treasures  till  hunger 
drives  them  off  again  to  beg.  Happily  they  are  now 
shut  out  of  Russia  by  the  government,  and  they  have 
little  hope  from  England.  But  Germany  is  still  a 
golden  laud  to  them." 

Mr.  Rhea,  another  very  able  member  of  the  mis- 
sion, was  suddenly  removed  from  earth  on  j^^^^  ^^  jj^. 
the  2d  of  September,  1865.  He  was  on  his  ^^'"• 
return  from  Tabriz,  with  his  wife  and  children.  The 
whole  scene,  as  described  by  Mrs.  Rhea  in  the  Me- 
moir of  her  husband,  is  one  of  the  most  touching 
in  missionary  history .^  He  was  ill  when  they  left 
Tabriz,  and  not  until  they  had  gone  too  far  to  return 
did  his  wife  awake  to  the  alarming  fact,  that  his 
disease  was  cholera. 

She  then  hoped  to  reach  Ali  Shah,  a  village  four 
hours  from  Oroomiah.     It  was  necessary  to  put  the 

1  See  Tlie  Tennesseean  in  Persia  and  Kom-distan,  being  the  Scenes  and 
Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Samuel  Audley  Rhea,  by  Rev.  D  wight  W.  Marsh, 
for  Ten  Years  Missionary  in  Mosul,  pp.  338-349. 

VOL.  II.  19 


290   MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

bedding-  on  one  of*the  loaded  horses,  and  then  to 
place  Mr.  Rhea  upon  it,  and  for  two  men  to  hold 
him  on  ;  which  was  done  by  the  faithful  Nestorians, 
Daniel  and  Guwergis.  The  motion  of  the  horse  ex- 
torted frequent,  though  gentle,  groans  of  pain.  He 
was  very  thirsty,  and  both  the  children  were  crying 
for  water.  There  was  none.  At  a  brackish  brook  he 
had  tried  to  drink,  but  spit  out  the  bitter  draught  in 
disgust. 

"  At  length  the  moon  rose,  and  the  children  be- 
came quiet.  Daniel  passed  a  rope  around  Mr.  Rhea's 
back,  and  over  his  shoulders,  to  keep  him  from  shak- 
ing about  on  the  horse ;  and,  taking  off  his  hat, 
protected  his  head  with  a  flannel.  He  grew  quiet, 
and  I  said,  '  He  sleeps.'  So  we  rode  on  and  on  in 
the  still  night ;  no  sounds  except  from  the  horses' 
feet,  or  an  occasional  word  about  the  precious  load. 
'  Will  the  village  never  appear  ?  '  They  said  it  was 
very  near.     O,  how  long  the  way  seemed  ! 

"  My  mind  was  very  active,  picturing  that  com- 
fortable room  where  we  should  rest,  the  refreshing 
water,  the  quiet  rest,  the  soft  bed  for  the  dear  in- 
valid, the  quick  cup  of  tea,  his  sweet  words,  our  sub- 
sequent journey  home  in  the  takhterawan,  our  safe 
arrival  there.  All  this  time  my  eyes  were  on  him, 
and  my  ears  strained  to  catch  a  sound.  '  How  long 
he  sleeps  !    How  still  he  is ! ' 

"  At  length  the  weary,  weary  road  was  passed.  We 
reached  the  village,  and  stopped  at  a  house  where 


THE  NESTORIANS.  291 

they  said  we  could  find  a  room.  Daniel  and  I  ran  in 
to  see  it  first,  opened  the  windows,  and  spread  down 
the  shawl  and  pillows  where  he  could  rest ;  then 
went  back  to  the  gate,  and  I  charged  the  men  not 
to  let  him  exert  himself  at  all,  but  to  take  him  down 
like  a  little  child,  and  carry  him  carefully  in.  I  ran 
forward  then,  opened  my  satchel,  and  got  out  the 
wine  and  camphor,  and  spreading  a  pillow  on  my 
lap,  received  him  in  my  arms. 

"  Just  as  they  deposited  him  in  my  arms  he  drew 
one  long,  deep  sigh.  I  wet  his  lips,  bathed  his  face, 
spoke  to  him,  called  his  name,  raised  him  up,  kissed 
him,  and  entreated  him  to  speak.  I  chafed  his  soft, 
warm  hands,  felt  his  heart,  his  pulse,  his  temples, 
his  neck,  seeking  everywhere  for  signs  of  life.  In 
vain.    He  was  dead  !  " 

Help  came  at  length  from  the  mission,  and  the 
mortal  remains  of  Mr.  Rhea  found  their  resting  place 
at  Seir,  by  the  side  of  loved  ones  who  had  gone  be- 
fore him. 

Mr.  Rhea  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight,  in  the 
very  height  of  his  usefulness.  His  mental  ^j^  gj^a,rac- 
abilities  were  very  superior,  and  so  were  his  **■"■ 
acquirements,  especially  in  Oriental  languages. 
During  his  first  winter's  residence  in  Gawar,  in 
addition  to  a  systematic  course  of  reading  in  Church 
History,  and  his  study  of  Syriac,  he  went  thoroughly 
through  his  Hebrew  Bible.  The  Modern  Syriac  he 
spoke   with   great   accuracy   and    fluency,   and    he 


292      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

preached  with  acceptance  in  the  Tartar  Turkish. 
He  had  also  made  prog-ress  iu  the  Koordish  lan- 
guage. "  As  a  preacher,"  writes  Mr.  Coan,  "  he 
was  earnest,  faithful,  and  pungent ;  the  glowing 
words  leaped  from  his  lips,  while  the  Word  of  God 
seemed  a  fire  shut  up  within  him.  He  poured  out 
his  whole  soul  iu  the  messages  he  delivered.  I  have 
seldom  been  edified  by  the  discourses  of  any  one  as 
I  have  been  by  those  of  this  dear  brother.  These 
discourses,  whether  in  the  pulpit,  the  social  prayer- 
meeting,  or  at  family  devotions,  seemed  drawn  from 
his  own  experience  of  the  inexhaustible  treasures  iu 
Christ.  They  were  eminently  fitted  to  make  men 
better."  Dr.  Perkins  said  of  him,  "  He  is  one  of 
the  finest  preachers  I  ever  heard,  whether  in  Eng- 
lish or  in  the  Nestorian  language.  The  Nestorians 
denominate  him  Chrysostom,  from  his  remarkable 
powers  as  a  preacher."  He  was  excelled  by  few 
men  in  the  beauty  and  eloquence  of  his  address  on 
public  occasions,  of  which  there  was  a  fine  illustra- 
tion on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1865,  the  last  before  his 
death.  Though  a  native  of  Tennessee,  his  heart  was 
poured  out  in  thanksgiving  that  the  war  was  really 
over,  and  that  the  right  had  gained  the  day. 

The  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  hear  that  the 
Hostility  of  young  Patriarch,  influenced  by  his  nearest 
Mar  Shimon,  ^elativcs,  was  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  predecessor.  In  Gawar,  he  tried  persuasion, 
blandishment,  and  compulsion ;  but  the  authorities 


THE  NESTORIANS.  293 

gave  him  to  understiincl  that  there  could  not  he  per- 
secution. The  inilepeudeut  trihes  of  the  mountains 
were,  civilly,  under  his  power,  and  he  was  deter- 
mined to  keep  his  mountain  diocese  in  its  ancient 
ignorance.  He  diffused  a  vindictive  spirit.  No 
ecclesiastic  ever  had  stronger  motives  to  enter  upon 
a  path  of  reform,  or  fewer  obstructions.  But,  re- 
fusing all  fellowship  with  the  gospel,  he  showed  that 
the  Nestorian  Patriarch  could  no  more  adjust  him- 
self to  the  coming  age  of  light  and  liberty  of  con- 
science than  the  Pope  of  Rome. 

Mr.  Alison,  English  Ambassador  at  the  Persian 
Court,  seasonably   interposed   when   there  j,^.^^^| 
were  powerful  combinations  to  effect  the  Efg^Xl^-* 
ruin  of  the  mission,  headed  by  the  bigoted  ^^^'■'^°^- 
Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.     The  Papal  party  had 
seized  upon  the  Nestorian  church  at  Ardeshai,  and 
rebuilt  it ;  and  the  Shah,  upon  the  repre-  ^^^^^  ^^^^^ 
sentation  of  Mr.  Alison,  granted  a  site  for  *"'°" 
a   new   church,  and   subscribed   ,£100  towards   its 
erection. 

This  royal  donation  was  in  December,  1865.  In 
the  April  following,  the  mission  had  a  Government 
friendly  visit  from  his  Royal  Highness,  ^''™' 
Prince  Ahmed  Meerza,  the  governor  of  Oroomiah, 
and  uncle  of  the  King.  He  had  come  to  the  prov- 
ince strongly  prejudiced  against  the  mission,  but 
had  been  becoming  better  informed.  He  was  on 
the  mission  premises  two  hours  and  a  half,  and  saw 


294      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

3verything  that  could  be  shown  him,  in  the  way  of 
schools,  printing",  type  founding,  sewing-machines, 
and  medical  dispensary.  The  last  seemed  to  impress 
him  most  as  to  the  benevolent  character  of  the  mis- 
sion, and  he  left  with  strong  expressions  of  good 
will. 

The  examination  of  the  female  seminary,  at  the 
Success  of      close  of  its  term,  was  highly  satisfactory, 

the  girls'  :>  o      j 

school.  especially  in  the  Bible  and  in  theology.  In 
the  other  seminary,  superintended  by  Mr.  Shedd  in 
Male  semi-  *^^  abscncc  of  Mr.  Cochran,  there  had  been 
^^^'  much   religious    interest.      Many   of   the 

pupils  being  from  the  mountains,  Mr.  Shedd's  labors 
A  private  ^^  ^^^  scmiuary  had  a  direct  bearing  on  his 
school.  particular  portion  of  the  field.  Geog  Tapa 
had  a  very  fine  school,  entirely  supported  by  the 
people  themselves,  which  almost  vied  with  the  sem- 
inaries. 

The  mission  suflFered  another  severe  loss  in  the 
Death  of  death  of  Priest  Eshoo,  already  known  to 
Priest  Eshoo.  ^j^^  reader,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1866. 
Thirty-one  years  before,  the  Koords  plundered  his 
native  village  on  the  plain  of  Gawar,  and  he  removed 
to  Degala,  near  Oroomiah.  He  was  then  about 
thirty  years  of  age,  a  sedate,  dignified,  upright  man 
and  very  righteous  in  his  own  eyes.  Gentle  and 
unassuming,  he  yet  commanded  the  respect  of  all, 
and  his  reputation  as  a  scholar  soon  secured  for  him 
the  place  of  a  teacher  in  the  incipient  male  semi- 


THE  NESTORIANS.  295 

nary.  For  mauy  years  he  was  its  first  teacher,  and 
down  to  the  close  of  his  life  sustained  a  relation  to 
one  or  the  other  of  these  institutions.  He  and  his 
lovely  daughter  Sarah  were  among  the  first  converts 
in  the  revival  of  1846.  While  remarkable  for 
humility,  he  was  firm  in  defense  of  the  truth.  His 
judgment  was  cool  and  discriminating,  and  he  was 
known  as  a  safe  counselor.  He  was  a  good  preacher, 
and  several  volumes  of  his  sermons,  neatly  written 
by  his  own  hand,  showed  that  they  were  carefully 
studied.^ 

Dr.  Van  Norden  and  wife  entered  the  mission  in 
October,  1866,  taking  the  place  of  Dr.  ^ew  medical 
Young,  who  had  left  three  years  before.         n>-«io->-y- 

Mr.  Labaree  communicates  the  result  of  careful 
inquiries  by  Mr.  Thompson,  of  the  British  Estimates  of 
Legation,  who  had  been  spending  some  p°p"'''"°°- 
time  at  Oroomiah.  Mr.  Thompson  estimated  the 
Nestorians  in  Oroomiah,  Tergawer,  Sooldooz,  and 
Salmas,  at  twenty  thousand ;  the  Armenians  in 
Oroomiah  alone  at  about  two  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred; the  Papal  Chaldeans  in  Oroomiah,  Tergawer, 
and  Sooldooz  at  six  hundred  and  twenty-five ;  but 
the  Chaldean  and  Armenian  population  of  Salmas 
he  did  not  learn.  He  thought  that  the  population 
of  Persia  could  not  be  more  than  from  five  to  seven 
millions,  and  his  opinion  was  deemed  of  great  weight, 
as  he  had  made  himself  familiar  with  the  civil  and 

1  See  vol.  i.  pp.  326-329. 


296      MISSIONS   TO   THE    ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

political  aifairs  of  Persia  during  a  long  residence, 
and  had  travelled  extensively  through  the  country, 
with  a  very  observant  eye. 

Among  the  new  lights  breaking  forth  in  Western 
Interesting     and  Ccutral  Asia,  was  a  community  of  evan- 

Armenian 

colony.  gelical  Armenians  in  the  Russian  province 
of  Sherwan,  near  the  Caspian  Sea.  A  Nestorian 
brother  had  been  sent  to  inquire  into  their  condition 
early  in  1862,  and  there  had  been  occasional  inter- 
course ever  since ;  but  cautiously,  lest  their  cause 
should  be  jeoparded.  They  had  suffered  sore  perse- 
cution, and  had  met  in  glens  and  deep  recesses  of 
the  mountains,  for  the  worship  of  God  and  the  study 
of  his  Word.  Their  leader,  Varpet  Sarkis,  had  been 
exiled,  their  children  left  unbaptized,  their  young- 
people  unmarried,  their  dead  denied  the  right  of 
burial,  and  they  the  privilege  of  commemorating  the 
death  of  their  Lord.  In  August,  1866,  an  Imperial 
Ukase  was  brought  them  by  a  Lutheran  clergyman 
from  Moscow,  granting  them  full  liberty  to  worship 
God  publicly  as  their  consciences  should  dictate,  and 
restoring  to  them  all  their  privileges.  Pious  Nesto- 
rians,  who  had  gone  there  from  Oroomiah,  reported 
that  the  Lutheran  clergyman  remained  there  a  week, 
organized  a  church,  received  a  hundred  and  six  per- 
sons to  Christian  fellowship,  and  performed  the  nec- 
essary baptisms  and  marriages ;  and  that  they  were 
expecting  the  return  of  their  beloved  guide  and 
teacher  from  exile.     Nearly  two  thousand  copies  of 


THE  NESrORIANS.  297 

the  Scriptures  were  sold  among"  this  people  within 
three  and  a  half  years,  besides  inauy  other  good 
books  and  tracts. 

Mar  Shimon,  acting  under  the  evil  advice  of  his 
father  and  uncle,  issued  an  order  for  the  Patriarch 

thwarted  in 

expulsion  of  all  the  helpers  of  the  mission  ws  hostility. 
from  Tehoma,  and  threatened  not  to  leave  one  in 
all  the  mountains.  Events  providentially  occasioned 
delay,  and  meanwhile  Mr.  Rassam,  the  British  Vice 
Consul  at  Mosul,  hearing  of  Mar  Shimon's  proceed- 
ings, addressed  him  a  very  strong  letter  of  remon- 
strance, assuring  him  that  the  American  missionaries 
were  the  truest  and  most  efficient  friends  of  the 
Nestorians,  and  urging  him  to  invite  their  preachers 
back  with  the  same  publicity  with  which  he  had 
ordered  their  expulsion.  The  letter,  coming  from 
one  to  whom  the  Nestorians  were  greatly  indebted, 
had  the  desired  effect,  and  they  were  quite  abashed 
by  receiving  such  an  emphatic  rebuke  from  such  a 
quarter.  In  addition  to  this  rebuff,  another  was  re- 
ceived, soon  after,  quite  as  mortifying.  The  Patriarch 
had  written  to  Mr.  Taylor,  British  Consul  at  Erzroom, 
offering  to  make  over  his  people  to  the  English 
Church,  if  the  English  government  would  extend  to 
them  its  protection  from  Turks  and  Koords.  The 
reply  of  the  Consul  was  a  decided  rejection  of  the 
proposal,  couched  in  language  not  at  all  flattering 
to  the  Patriarch.  Thus  bafiied  and  censured,  he 
privately  signified  his  willingness  that  our  preachers 
should  remain  at  their  places  without  molestation. 


298      MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

The  mission  commenced  the  year  1868  with  the 
Favoring  in-  eucouraging  fact,  that  one  hundred  Nesto- 
dications.  i-iaus  had  bccn  received  to  the  communion 
during-  the  previous  year,  which  was  a  larger  num- 
ber than  had  been  admitted  in  any  one  year  before. 
This  number  embraced  the  fruits  of  revivals  in  sev- 
eral villages  on  the  plain  of  Oroomiah,  and  in  the 
two  seminaries,  with  individuals  scattered  through 
the  Koordish  mountains.  Mar  Yooseph,  the  helper 
in  Bootan,  on  the  Tigris,  reported,  that  he  had  held 
his  first  reformed  communion  in  that  distant  region, 
and  that  seven  came  to  the  table  of  the  Lord.  There 
had  been  no  opposition.  The  native  preaching  force 
in  the  mission  was  then  sixty-two,  of  whom  eighteen 
were  in  Koordistan,  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Shedd ; 
and  there  were  seventy-eight  regular  preaching 
places.  Connected  with  nearly  all  these  congrega- 
tions were  Sabbath-schools  and  Bible-classes,  and  in 
not  a  few  instances  the  entire  congregation  was  con- 
nected with  them.  The  habit  of  giving  was  very 
generally  established,  affording  evidence  that  the 
people  might  be  expected  eventually  to  support  their 
pastors. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE   NESTORIANS. 

1867-1870. 

The  annual  convention  of  helpers  and  representa- 
tives of  the  Nestoriau  churches  occupied  convention 

of  Nestorian 

three  days  of  October,  1867.  Ninety  mem-  churches. 
bers  were  in  attendance.  Mar  Yohanan  was  elected 
moderator,  and  Priest  Yoosep  of  Dizza  Takka,  the 
former  moderator,  preached  the  opening  sermon. 
The  aged  preacher  lamented  the  prevailing  worldli- 
ness  of  the  church,  and  earnestly  enforced  the  duty 
of  prayer  as  the  great  remedy.  He  alluded  feeling- 
ly to  the  destruction,  by  a  Koordish  chief,  of  one  of 
their  oldest  and  best  churches,  which  dated  back  more 
than  a  thousand  years.  A  part  of  the  materials 
had  been  used  to  construct  a  fort,  and  a  part  to  build 
a  mosque  upon  the  site  of  the  church.  The  recent 
increase  of  wine  drinking,  among  some  of  the  com- 
municants, received  a  faithful  rebuke.  Carefully 
prepared  papers  were  presented  on  practical  sub- 
jects, such  as  education,  benevolence,  temperance, 
family  worship,  and  the  means  for  promoting  the 
spiritual  efficacy  of  their  body  as  a  communion,  and 


300      MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

these  were  followed  by  free  and  animated  discussions. 
The  duty  of  assuming  more  fully  the  support  of  the 
gospel  aud  of  schools  among-  the  entire  people,  was 
earnestly  enjoined  ;  and  during  the  discussion  the 
spirit  of  self-denying  benevolence  rose  to  an  unusual 
pitch.  Several  pledged  a  tenth  of  their  income,  and 
the  contributions  on  the  plain  rose  higher  than  ever 
before. 

There  were  pleasing  episodes  during  these  delib- 
erations, —  in  the  reports  of  Deacon  Yacob,  a  sem- 
inary graduate,  of  two  aud  a  half  years'  colportage 
in  Russia,  and  of  Deacon  Eshoo  concerning  his  suc- 
cessful labors  for  some  years  in  Tabriz.  Deacon 
Yacob  reported  the  sale  of  nineteen  hundred  Bibles 
and  Testaments,  and  many  other  books  and  tracts, 
in  Modern  Russian,  German,  and  other  languages. 
He  also  spoke  of  revival  scenes,  resulting  in  the 
hopeful  conversion  of  several  adherents  to  the  Greek 
Church.  The  Emperor  of  Russia,  he  said,  encour- 
aged the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  spoken 
language,  allowed  free  passports  to  colporters,  and 
exacted  no  duties  for  the  largest  sales. 

"  The  subject  of  wine  drinking,"  writes  Mr.  Coch- 
ran, "  the  greatest  bane  of  the  people  in  the  wine- 
making  districts,  was  discussed  with  vigor,  and,  with 
one  or  two  exceptions,  in  the  spirit  of  a  determined 
purpose  to  urge  forward  a  reform.  It  was  manifest 
that,  on  the  whole,  there  had  been  a  decided  growth 
of  conviction,  that  total  abstinence  is  the  only  safe 


THE  NESTORIANS.  301 

remedy  for  the'  evil.  It  was  gratifying'  to  hear  no 
complaints  of  the  use  of  stronger  drinks,  except 
among  those  outside  of  our  communion." 

Several  churches,  as  well  as  the  seminq,ries,  had 
enjoyed  special  seasons  of  revival.  A  sunrise  prayer- 
meeting  of  an  hour  was  held  each  day  of  the  session, 
was  well  attended,  and  characterized  by  much  fervor 
and  importunity  in  prayer,  and  the  last  evening 
was  spent  in  devotional  exercises.  The  burden  of 
prayer  seemed  to  be  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit 
on  the  churches  and  the  conversion  of  souls,  and 
many  of  the  congregation  were  at  times  deeply 
moved. 

Deacon  Yacob  was  ordained  in  the  month  follow- 
ing, that  he  might  be  able  to  administer  the  ^  ^.   ,. 

o '  o  Ordination 

ordinances  to  the  converts  among  the  Mai-  rfanmSon- 
akans  of  Russia.  Mr.  Shedd  wrote  of  '"^^' 
him  as  "  a  man  whom  we  delight  to  have  among  us, 
so  full  is  he  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith."  One 
other  person  was  also  ordained  as  an  elder  or  priest, 
and  four  as  deacons,  in  connection  with  meetings  of 
district  conferences  composed  of  preachers  and  del- 
egates. 

In  the  first  week  of  1868,  the  "  week  of  prayer," 
Mr.  Labaree  made  a  tour  in  five  villages,  ^  gausfac- 
and  never  passed  that  interesting  season  *°'t''°" 
more  delightfully,  finding  in  each  village  cheering 
evidence  of  the  special  presence  of  the  Lord.     The 
Christians  were  induced  to  pray  and  labor  earnestly 


302    MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

for  the  unconverted  around  them.  In  each  village 
two  meetings  were  held  each  day,  and  were  attended 
by  considerable  numbers  outside  of  the  church.  In- 
deed that  week  was  observed,  generally,  among  the 
evangelized  Nestorians,  and  there  were  indications 
of  a  blessing  in  the  two  seminaries,  and  in  several 
villages. 

It  is  an  important  step  towards  the  support  of 
relio-ious  institutions,  when  a  people  have 

Movement  °  :'  i        a 

supporting^'  ®"ce  acknowledged  such  support  to  be  their 
churches.  ^^^^  .  ^^^^  ^|^jg  aduiissiou  will  be  the  more 
effectual  when  organizations  exist  that  can  attend  to 
the  performance  of  the  duty.  In  the  progress  of 
events  there  had  grown  up  four  ecclesiastical  bodies, 
called  Knooshyas,  that  is,  assemblies,  three  on  the 
plain,  and  one  in  the  mountains ;  which  had  their 
confession  of  faith  and  rules  of  discipline.  The 
local  assemblies  sometimes  met  together  as  one 
body.  As  in  kindred  bodies  among  the  Armenians, 
the  missionaries  were  admitted  for  counsel,  but  not 
to  vote.  At  a  meeting  of  one  of  these  bodies,  the 
duty  of  self-support  was  fully  acknowledged,  and  the 
desire  was  strongly  expressed  to  show  their  gratitude 
to  the  American  churches  by  assuming  the  entire 
support  of  the  gospel  among  themselves,  and  send 
ing  it  to  regions  beyond,  as  did  their  fathers.  The 
following  resolution  was  adopted,  namely  :  "  That  it 
is  the  duty  of  every  member  of  the  church,  as  he  has 
received  spiritual  benefits  from  his  pastor,  to  aid  in 


THE  NESTORIANS.  303 

the  temporal  support  of  the  same ;  and  also  to  aid 
in  meeting-  the  necessary  expenses  of  the  church 
according-  to  his  ability." 

It  was  recommended  that  pastors  preach  on  the 
subject  of  these  resolutions  ;  and  that  the  pastor  and 
lay- delegates,  on  their  return  home,  use  their  influ- 
ence with  the  brethren  and  congregations  of  their 
respective  villages  to  bring  the  people  up  to  their 
duty  in  these  matters. 

The  following  reflections  by  the  venerable  Dr. 
Perkins,  written  about  this  time,  will  be  re-  Progress  of 

the  reforma- 

freshing  to  the  reader  :  "  The  progress  of  "on. 
our  work,"  he  says,  "  is  steadily  onward,  and  is  prob- 
ably as  rapid  as  would  consist  with  its  highest  pros- 
perity. This  progress  is  not  always  in  a  uniform 
current.  It  often  resembles  a  succession  of  circling 
eddies,  caused  generally  by  obstacles  in  the  stream, 
but  sometimes  by  the  accelerated  speed  of  the  cur- 
rent, which,  but  for  these  self-regulating  checks, 
might  bring  upon  the  work  serious  disaster.  Such 
eddies  are  often  our  best  missionary  regulators,  cor- 
recting mistakes  or  undue  haste,  and  giving  to  our 
converts  occasion  and  time  to  examine  the  founda- 
tions of  their  faith." 

Miss  Nancy  Jane  Dean  joined  the  mission  in  Oc- 
tober, 1868,  to  labor  in  the  female  seminary.  Retirement 

of  mission- 
Miss  Rice  and  Mrs.  Rhea  had  left  Oroomiah  ^ries. 

in  the  previous  May,  with  Dr.  Perkins,  and  arrived 

at  New  York  in  August.     Miss  Rice  had  been  con- 


304     MISSIONS   TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

nected  with  the  female  seminary  twenty-two  years, 
and  her  good  influence  was  felt  in  hundreds  of  Nes- 
torian  homes  on  the  broad  plain  and  in  the  wild 
glens  of  the  mountains.  Mrs.  Rhea's  return  was  due 
to  her  children,  but,  like  that  of  Miss  Rice,  it  was  a 
sad  loss  to  the  mission  circle,  and  to  the  women  of 
Persia.  The  return  of  Dr.  Perkins,  the  father  of  the 
Nestorian  mission,  seemed  like  a  removal  of  the 
foundations.  "  It  is  difficult,"  wrote  Mr.  Shedd,  "  to 
over-estimate  his  labors,  continued  now  for  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century,  or  the  value  of  his  expe- 
rience. It  is  a  gratification  to  him,  and  to  us  all, 
that  he  can  leave  us  in  the  atmosphere  of  revivals ; 
and  that,  after  he  is  gone,  the  many  works  from  his 
pen  will  continue  to  speak  to  the  people  whom  he 
loved.  But  many  will  sorrow  at  his  leaving  Persia, 
and  most  of  all  that  they  shall  see  his  face  no  more." 
Dr.  Perkins  had  seen  much  accomplished  in  the 
whatDr  thirty-six  years  of  his  connection  with  the 
Terificcom-  mission.  From  eighty-five  centres,  and  to 
^'^  ^  congregations  averaging  nearly  two  thou- 

sand four  hundred,  the  gospel  had  come  to  be  pro- 
claimed, by  more  than  a  hundred  native  helpers,  of 
whom  fifty-eight  were  fully  recognized  preachers ; 
and  more  than  nine  hundred  persons  had  professed 
their  faith  in  Christ,  of  whom  seven  hundred  and 
twenty  were  then  connected  with  the  evangelical 
communion.  The  seminaries  had  educated  hundreds 
of  youth,  whose  influence  was  seen  in  the  general 


THE  NESTORIANS.  305 

social  and  moral  elevation  of  the  people.  In  the 
common  schools  there  were  more  than  a  thousand 
pupils  ;  and  from  the  press  more  than  half  a  million 
of  pages  had  gone  forth  in  the  year  preceding  his 
departure  ;  making  an  aggregate  of  nearly  nineteen 
millions  (18,996,450)  from  the  beginning. 

The  mission  was  commenced  with  the  expectation 
that  the  revival  of  gospel  light  and  influ-  Rekindling 
ence   among   that   people   would    rekindle  cientmis 

*="  ^        ^  sionary 

their  ancient  missionary  spirit.  Extreme  ^p*"' 
oppression  and  poverty  have  made  the  development 
of  this  spirit  very  difficult.  But  we  have  already  seen 
among  them  as  fine  specimens  of  it,  probably,  as 
there  ever  were  in  the  olden  times.  Witness  the 
venerable  Bishop  Elias,  Tamo  of  Gawar,  Guwergis  of 
Tergawer,  Isaac  of  the  Patriarchal  family,  Joseph  the 
translator.  Priest  Eshoo  of  the  Seminary,  Oshana  of 
Tehoma,  and,  more  recently,  Yacob,  among  the 
Malakans  of  Russia,  and  Deacon  Eshoo  in  the  com- 
mercial capital  of  Persia.  These  were  really  mis- 
sionary men  ;  and  there  seems  also  to  have  been  even 
a  greater  development  of  the  genuine  missionary 
zeal  among  the  Nestorian  women.  There  were,  and 
doubtless  there  are  now,  men  and  women,  who  would 
have  resolutely  carried  the  gospel  into  Central  Asia, 
had  the  door  been  open. 

The  time  had  now  come,  when   it   could  be  no 

longer   safe    for    the   reformed   Nestoriau  Foreign  mis- 
sions becom« 
churches  to  defer  entering  upon  incipient  a  necessity. 


306     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

foreign  missions.  The  healthful  reaction  of  such 
missions  had  become  as  indispensable  as  it  was  when 
the  churches  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  were  providen- 
tially led  to  send  missionaries  to  Micronesia  and  the 
Marquesas.  The  churches  at  the  Islands,  living  un- 
der a  free  constitutional  government,  were  indeed 
able  to  support  their  missionaries,  and  the  oppressed 
and  impoverished  Nestorians  are  not ;  but  it  was 
a  great  thing  to  have  messengers  go  forth  from 
among  themselves  to  make  the  gospel  known  to  less 
favored  peoples. 

And  here,  to  illustrate  the  high-toned  missionary 
The  reyiving  ^pirit  of  thc  Ncstonaus  of  our  day,  I  will 
^Sm^-  quote  from  the  correspondence  of  Sarah,  a 
daughter  of  Priest  Abraham,  of  Geog  Tapa. 
She  was  a  convert  of  the  first  revival  in  1846,  and 
one  of  the  earliest  graduates  of  the  female  seminary. 
She  seems  to  have  gone,  after  graduation,  to  reside 
with  her  father,  then  laboring  at  Ardishai,  one  of 
the  most  wicked  villages  of  the  plain ;  where  she 
persuaded  her  father  to  go  and  work  for  Christ. 
She  was  afterwards  married  to  Oshana,  one  of  those 
named  above ;  and  the  following  letter,  written  two 
years  after  to  Miss  Fiske,  then  in  the  United  States, 
will  give  a  good  idea  of  her  spirit.  She  is  giving  an 
account  of  her  visit  to  Tehoma,  with  her  husband, 
Oshana,  and  her  two  little  children  : 

"  Through  the  favor  of  our  heavenly  Father,  I  have 
made  a  journey  into  these  mountains,  rejoicing  in 


THE  NESTORIANS.  307 

the  opportunity  to  labor  for  my  people.  I  am  very 
happy  that  my  father  a'ud  friends  brought  me  on  my 
way  in  willingness  of  soul.  From  the  day  that  I  left 
my  own  country,  in  every  place  that  I  have  entered, 
until  now,  my  heart  has  been  excited  to  praise  my 
Guide  and  my  Deliverer,  and  I  have  also  been  grate- 
ful to  my  teachers,  who  brought  me  to  labor  in  a 
desolate  vineyard  joyfully ;  I,  who  am  so  weak,  and 
such  a  great  sinner.  In  all  the  various  circum- 
stances through  which  I  have  passed,  your  counsels 
have  been  of  great  benefit  to  me. 

"  I  think  you  will  be  glad  to  know,  that  the  gospel 
door  is  wide  open  here.  You  and  your  friends  will 
pray,  that  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  would  send  forth 
laborers  into  his  harvest. 

"  We  left  Oroomiah,  May  6th,  and  on  May  8th  we 
reached  Memikan,  and  remained  there  three  days. 
It  was  our  first  Sabbath  in  the  mountains,  and  I 
met  that  company  of  women,  for  whom  our  departed 
Mrs.  Rhea  used  to  labor.  May  12th  we  left  Memi- 
kan, and  went  up  to  the  tops  of  the  snowy  moun- 
tains of  Gawar.  The  cold  was  such  that  we  were 
obliged  to  wrap  our  faces  and  our  hands  as  we  would 
in  January.  As  we  descended  the  mountain,  we 
found  it  about  as  warm  as  February.  That  night 
we  spent  in  the  deep  valley  of  Ishtazin,  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Boobawa,  where  Yohanan  and  Guly  dwell. 
The  people  here  are  very  wild  and  hard.  Yohanan 
and  Guly  were  not  here,  having  gone  to  visit  Khan- 


308    MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

anis.  Only  a  few  came  together  for  preaching. 
The  people  said,  '  Yohanau  preaches,  and  we  revile.' 
May  13th,  we  left  Boobawa,  and  soon  crossed  the 
river.  Men  had  gone  before  us,  and  were  lying  in 
wait  there.  They  stripped  us,  but  afterwards  of 
themselves  became  sorry,  and  returned  our  things. 
As  we  were  going  along  this  wonderful,  fearful 
river,  and  beheld  the  mountains  on  either  side 
covered  with  beautiful  forests,  we  remembered  Mr. 
Rhea,  the  composer  of  the  hymn,  'Valley  of  Ishta- 
zin.'  And  when  filled  with  wonder  at  the  works  of 
the  Great  Creator,  we  all,  with  one  voice,  praised 
him  in  songs  of  joy  fitting  for  the  mountains. 
Here  the  brethren  reminded  me,  that  our  dear  Miss 
Fiske  had  trodden  these  fearful  precipices.  This 
greatly  encouraged  me  in  my  journey.  This  day  we 
went  into  many  villages,  and  over  many  ascents  and 
descents.  At  evening  we  reached  Jeloo,  and  re- 
mained over  night  in  the  pleasant  village  of  Zeer, 
which  lies  in  a  valley  made  beautiful  by  forests  and 
a  river  passing  through  it.  They  showed  great  hos- 
pitality here,  and  were  eager  to  receive  the  word  of 
the  Lord.  May  14th,  we  left  Zeer,  and  went  to 
Bass.  It  was  Saturday  night,  and  we  remained  over 
the  Sabbath  in  the  village  of  Nerik.  I  shall  always 
have  a  pleasant  remembrance  of  the  Sabbath  we 
passed  there.  From  the  first  moment  that  we  went 
in  till  Monday  morning,  we  were  never  alone,  so 
many  were  assembling  to   hear  the  words  of  the 


TEE  NESTORlANb.  309 

Lord.  With  tearful  eyes  aud  buruing  hearts,  they 
were  iiiqumiig  for  the  way  of  salvation.  They  would 
say,  '  What  shall  we  do  ?  We  have  no  one  to  sit 
among  us,  to  teach  us,  poor,  wretched  ones.'  Truly 
a  man's  heart  burns  within  him  as  he  sees  this  poor 
people  scattered  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  May 
16th,  we  mounted  our  mules,  aud  went  on  our  way. 
Half  an  hour  from  Nerik  we  came  to  the  village 
of  Urwintoos.  An  honorable,  kind-hearted  woman 
came  out,  aud  made  us  her  guests.  This  was  Os- 
haua's  aunt.  As  soon  as  we  sat  down,  the  house 
was  filled  with  men  and  women.  They  brought  a 
Testament  themselves,  and  entreated  us  to  read 
from  that  holy  book.  Did  not  my  heart  rejoice 
when  I  saw  how  eagerly  they  were  listening  to  the 
account  of  the  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ! 
When  the  men  went  out,  the  women  came  very  near 
to  me,  entreating  for  the  word  of  the  Lord,  as  those 
thirsting  for  water.  Then  I  read  to  them  from  the 
Book. 

"  There  are  many  sad  deeds  of  wickedness  among 
these  mountain  Nestorians;  and  when  Christians 
hear  how  anxious  they  are  to  receive  the  words  of 
life,  will  they  not  feel  for  them  ?  We  reached  Te- 
homa  May  17th.  Now,  from  the  mercy  of  God,  we 
are  all  well  and  in  the  village  of  Mazrayee.  I  am 
not  able  to  labor  for  the  women  here  as  I  desired, 
because  many  of  them  have  gone  to  the  sheep-folds. 
It  is  so  hot  we  cannot  remain  here,  and  we  will  go 


810      MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

there  also,  soon.  I  trust,  wherever  I  am,  and  as 
long  as  I  am  here,  I  shall  labor  for  that  Master,  who 
wearied  Himself  for  me,  and  who  bought  these  souls 
with  his  blood." 

Sarah  returned  to  Oroomiah  in  the  spring  of 
1860,  and  left  in  1861  for  Amadiah.  During  the 
winter  of  1861-62,  no  messenger  could  cross  the 
snow-covered  mountains  between  Oroomiah  and 
Amadiah,  and  she  thus  wrote  in  March,  1862,  to 
Miss  Rice. 

"  I  did  greatly  long  for  the  coming  of  the  mes- 
senger. We  were  very  sad  in  not  hearing  a  single 
word  from  home.  Now  I  offer  thanksgivings  to 
Him,  in  whose  hands  are  all  things,  that  He  has 
opened  a  door  of  mercy,  and  has  delighted  us  by 
the  arrival  of  letters.  They  came  to-day.  Many 
thanks  to  you  and  your  dear  pupils  !  The  Lord 
bless  them,  and  prepare  their  hearts  for  such  a 
blessed  work  as  ours. 

"  Give  Eneya's  salutations  and  mine  to  all  the 
school.  I  think  they  will  wish  to  hear  about  the 
work  of  the  Lord  here.  Thanks  to  God,  our  health 
has  been  good  ever  since  we  came,  and  our  hearts 
have  been  contented  and  happy  in  seeing  some  of 
our  neighbors  believing,  and  with  joy  receiving  the 
words  of  life.  Every  Sabbath  we  have  a  congrega- 
tion of  thirty-five,  and  more  men  than  women.  For 
many  weeks  only  the  men  came;  but  now,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  the  women  come  too,  and  their  num- 


THE  NESTORIANS.  311 

ber  is  increasing.  I  have  commenced  to  teach  the 
life  of  the  Lord  Jesus  from  the  beginning.  I  have 
strong  hopes  that  God  is  awakening  one  of  them. 
His  word  is  very  dear  to  her.  Her  son  is  the  priest 
of  the  village,  and  a  sincere  Christian.  Four  other 
young  men  and  five  women  are,  we  trust,  not  far 
from  the  door  of  the  kingdom.  We  entreat  you, 
dear  sisters,  to  pray  in  a  special  manner  for  these 
thoughtful  ones,  that  they  may  enter  the  narrow 
door  of  life. 

"  From  the  villages  about  us  we  have  a  good  re- 
port. They  receive  the  gospel  from  Oshana  and 
Shlemon,  who  visit  them  every  Sabbath.  In  my 
journeys  through  these  mountains,  I  have  seen 
various  assemblies  of  men  and  women  listening  to 
the  gospel ;  poor  ones,  exclaiming,  '  What  shall  we 
do  ?  Our  priests  have  deceived  us ;  we  are  lost,  like 
sheep  on  the  mountains.  There  is  no  one  to  teach 
us.'  They  sit  in  misery  and  ignorance.  They  need 
our  prayers  and  our  help.  I  verily  believe  that  if  we 
labor  faithfully  —  God  help  us  to  labor  thus  —  we 
shall  soon  see  our  Church  revived,  built  up  on  the 
foundation  of  Christ  Jesus,  and  adorned  for  Him  as 
a  bride  for  her  husband.  With  tears  of  joy  we  shall 
gaze  on  these  ancient  ruins  becoming  new  temples 
of  the  Lord.  Soon  shall  these  mountains  witness 
scenes  that  will  rejoice  angels  and  saints.  Those 
will  be  blessed  times.  Let  us  pray  for  tliem,  and 
labor  with  Christ  for  their  coming."  ^ 

1  Woman  and  her  Saviour  in  Persia,  pp.  216-221.     Similar  illustra- 


312      MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Priest  Abraham,  the  father  of  this  excellent 
Death  of  woman,  died  in  1871.  He  was  one  of  the 
ham.  first  to  cooperate  with   Dr.  Perkins,  and 

was  faithful  unto  the  end. 

There  was  the  more  call  for  some  new  missionary 
Faiiureofthe  naovement  from  the  fact,  that,  whatever 
CfSchor"  may  be  affirmed  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the 
ganization.  ^^^^  adoi)ted  for  reforming  the  Nestoriau 
Church,  in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  mission,  ex- 
perience had  shown  that  the  Old  Church,  as  such, 
could  not  be  reformed.  It  was  proper  that,  from 
time  to  time,  the  favorable  facts  on  this  subject 
should  be  stated  in  this  history,  as  they  appeared  to 
the  men  then  on  the  ground,  —  to  Dr.  Lobdell ;  ^  to 
Dr.  Dwight ;  2  to  Mr.  Coan ;  ^  to  Dr.  Perkins ;  *  in- 
deed to  the  whole  body  of  the  mission.  But  the 
experience  of  six  and  thirty  years  had  shown,  that 
the  dead  Church  could  not  be  galvanized  into  spir- 
itual life.  There  was  no  way  for  the  truly  en- 
lightened but  to  leave  it,  and  form  reunions  on  the 
Apostolic  basis. 

The  necessity  had  become  obvious^  but  it  was  a 
MarYohan-  W^^g"  pfoccss.  It  was  too  much  for  Mar 
*"■  Yohanau.     He  must  be  spoken  of  kindly, 

for  he  had  long  stood  in  friendly  relations  with  the 

tions  could  be  multiplied  from  ttis  remarkable  volume,  some  of  them 
scarcely  less  interesting  than  the  above. 

1  Chapter  xxvii.  ^  Chapter  xxix. 

*  Chapter  xxix.  *  Chapter  xxviii. 


THE  NESTORIANS.  313 

mission,  though  the  evidence  of  his  piety  was  never 

entirely  satisfactory. 

Priest  John,  of  Geog  Tapa,  gave   unquestioned 

evidences   of  piety  in    early  life.     But    in  Erratic  pro- 
ceedings of 
1868,  if  not  earlier,  his  gold  had  become   Pnestjohn. 

dim,  and    his   proceedings  and  their  consequences 

must  have  a  place  in  this  history. 

Becoming  extravagant  in  his  habits,  and  thus  in- 
volved in  debt,  he  was  disaffected  because  the  mission 
could  not  accede  to  exorbitant  demands,  and  relieve 
him  from  pecuniary  embarrassments.  So  he  went 
abroad  to  collect  money  for  this  purpose,  and  made 
his  way  to  England,  where  he  succeeded  in  inter- 
esting several  of  the  dignitaries  of  the  Established 
Church.  Returning  home  in  the  autumn  of  1869, 
he  made  such  a  report  of  his  visit,  and  excited  such 
expectation  of  the  coming  of  Episcopal  clergymen, 
and  large  patronage  for  ecclesiastics  and  civil  pro- 
tection for  all  classes,  that  many  of  the  simple-, 
hearted  people  were  carried  away.  The  mission  had 
been  hoping  to  get  some  of  the  evangelical  churches, 
ere  long,  upon  a  self-supporting  basis;  but  the  hopes 
thus  excited  of  their  burdens  being  assumed  by  the 
Church  of  England,  put  back  for  a  time  this  work 
of  self-support. 

The  narrative  is  continued  in  the  language  of  Mr. 
Cochran :  "  Priest  John  returned  from  England 
flushed  with  the  apparent  success  of  his  mission. 
At  Geog  Tapa,  the  next  Sabbath  after  our  commuu- 


314     AIISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

ion,  at  early  dawn  he  baptized  fifteen  children  with 
much  display.  More  than  two  hours  were  spent  in 
reading-  the  English  Liturgy,  chanting  Psalms,  and 
explaining  and  vindicating  the  usages  of  the  Eng- 
lish Church.  He  announced  his  intention  to  give 
the  communion  to  all  who  desired  it.  This  inno- 
vation upon  the  evangelical  usage  of  more  than  a 
dozen  years  (though  he  had  once  previously  prac- 
ticed indiscriminate  baptism),  was  not  inappro- 
priately followed  by  the  suspension  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  and  preaching  service,  and  the  turn-out  of 
the  whole  village,  headed  by  Malek  Yonan  and  Priest 
John,  to  meet  the  son  of  the  master  of  their  village, 
who  happened  to  return  on  that  day  from  a  long 
absence  in  the  army.  In  the  delay  of  the  young 
Khan's  arrival,  a  young  deacon,  more  zealous  than 
discreet,  proposed  a  service  by  the  roadside,  but 
many  voices  cried,  '  We  have  become  Episcopalians, 
and  don't  want  any  more  preaching.'  This  public 
and  flagrant  violation  of  the  Sabbath,  headed  by  the 
two  leading  Christians  of  the  village,  painfully  illus- 
trates the  material  found  there,  and  sadly  contrasts 
with  the  better  days  of  the  excellent  and  lamented 
Malek  Agha  Beg  and  Mar  Elias. 

"We  have  heard  nothing  from  friends  in  England, 
but  from  other  sources  infer  the  probability  of  at 
least  a  visit  of  Episcopalians  to  Mar  Shimon,  and 
possibly  to  Oroomiah,  the  coming  spring.  Priest 
John  states,  that  Dr.  Perkins  did  him  harm  in  Eug- 


THE  NESrORIANS.  315 

land  by  his  published  statement,  that  he  (Priest 
John)  had  come,  not  as  an  accredited  agent  to  secure 
Episcopal  interference,  but  rather  on  a  private  and 
personal  beg-g'ing-  expedition  (the  truth  of  which  is 
well  known  in  Oroomiah,  and  confirmed  by  a  written 
stipulation  lodged  with  friends  here,  that  his  com- 
panion should  receive  one  third  of  the  avails  of  the 
excursion).  To  destroy  the  force  of  Dr.  Perkins' 
statement,  Priest  John  has  secured  the  signature  of 
a  large  number  of  names,  including  Patriarchs, 
Bishops,  Maleks,  and  principal  men  among  the  peo- 
ple. The  paper  was  circulated  privately,  but  we 
learn  that  only  one  of  our  employees,  and  very  few, 
if  any,  of  our  communicants,  could  be  persuaded  to 
sign  it. 

"  If  asked,  what  is  the  true  state  of  feeling  among 
our  communicants,  an  extensive  and  famil-  The  best  peo- 

.     '  .11  11  P'^  stand 

lar  acquaintance  with  them  enables  me  to  firm- 
testify  with  great  confidence,  that,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  very  small  high-church  party,  headed 
mainly  by  Mar  Yohanan,  I  discover  no  special  ten- 
dency to  Old  Churchism  of  any  kind,  and  if  let  alone, 
they  are  more  than  satisfied  with  the  gospel  sim- 
plicity and  spontaneity  of  worship." 

Under  date  of  January  10th,  1870,  Mr.  Cochran 
adds,  "  Geog  Tapa  continues  to  witness  novel  scenes 
under  the  eccentric  and  reckless  Priest  John.  At 
the  close  of  the  fast  of  the  nativity,  the  communion 
was  administered  to  the  whole  village,  and  num- 


316  MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

bers  from  surrounding"  villages  were  also  invited  in. 
Many  who  had  not  communed  for  from  ten  to  thirty 
years,  as  well  as  the  more  superstitious  and  the 
lowest  rabble,  participated.  Four  priests,  all  of 
whom  are  of  doubtful  piety  (though  two  were  in  our 
communion),  officiated,  clothed  in  white.  The  whole 
Old  Church  service  was  read  in  ancient  Syriac,  and 
long  Psalms  were  chanted  in  the  same.  The  baser 
sort  were  exultant,  but  the  thoughtful,  even  of  those 
not  with  us,  were  sad.  Every  artifice  was  used  to 
draw  in  our  communion,  but  we  were  rejoiced  to 
find  that  all  except  ten,  —  consisting  of  the  family 
of  Priest  John,  and  the  priests  and  deacons  who 
officiated,  —  refused  to  partake  with  them. 

"  I  have  preached  there  three  times  since.  Yes- 
terday was  our  communion.  The  house  was  crowded 
at  both  services.  It  was  judged  that  seven  hundred 
were  inside,  and  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
outside.  I  preached  in  the  morning  on  the  spiritual 
character  of  a  true  church,  and  newness  of  life  as 
the  condition  of  admission,  and  that  the  ordinances 
belong  exclusively  to  the  church,  and  not  to  those 
outside.  All  listened  attentively,  though  a  disturb- 
ance was  feared.  In  the  afternoon  I  '  fenced  '  our 
communion  fully,  but  Priest  John  had  the  efi'rontery 
to  partake.  I  have  since  learned  that  had  it  been 
withheld,  he,  with  the  rabble,  would  have  taken  it 
by  force.  A  perfect  separation  seems  called  for,  and 
with  it  a  casting  out  of  unworthy  members  from  the 


THE  NESrORIANS.  317 

church.  But  the  heart  of  the  body  is  right,  and 
will,  I  trust,  stand  by  the  truth." 

*'  Enlightened  villagers,"  adds  Mr.  Shedd,  under 
date  of  January  20,  1870,  "  besides  members  of  the 
evangelical  communion,  did  not  partake.  It  shows 
the  movement  for  high-church  aid  in  its  true  colors. 
Such  aid  on  the  part  of  the  English  bishops  is  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  salarying  Mar  Shimon  and 
his  ecclesiastics,  for  reading  their  old  prayers  and 
using  their  dead  forms  and  rites,  as  they  have  done 
for  ages  past.  We  rejoice  in  so  simple  an  issue,  and 
are  sure  it  can  do  no  injury  to  vital  Christianity."  ^ 

The  time  having  come  for  separate  and  independ- 
ent church  organizations,  these  painful  oc- 

°  '  ^  The  new  or- 

curreuces  seem  to  have  been  providentially  fii^iffedii- 
designed  to  promote  that  result.  '*'^'^' 

Mr.  Cochran  thus  writes  :  "  The  progress  of  the 
gospel   and   providential   occurrences,   are  The  past  not 

_         _  ^  to  be  con- 

bringing  us  into  many  new  relations  to  the  demned. 
old  Nestorian  Church,  and  grave  questions,  affecting 
the  purity  and  future  growth  of  our  churches,  are 
now  forcing  themselves  upon  us.  So  long  as  the 
Old  Church  did  not  oppose  evangelical  labors,  so  long 
as  she  freely  opened  her  doors  to  our  services,  con- 
senting to  a  separate  administration  of  the  ordi- 
nances for  the  hopefully  pious,  and  silently  tolerating 
many  ecclesiastical  and  social  reforms,  and  an  aban- 
donment of  the  liturgical  service ;  in  short,  so  long 

I  Missionary  Herald,  1870,  p.  190. 


318     MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

as  we  could  see,  under  the  preached  gospel,  the  hold 
on  the  old  superstitions  steadily  lessening,  and  the 
masses  being  leavened  with  evangelical  truth,  we 
were  more  than  content  to  labor  on  without  a  sepa- 
rate church  organization. 

"  But  experience  in  other  fields,  as  well  as  our 
Separate       owD,  has  provcd  that  such  labors  can  only 

churches  a 

necessity.  bc  prosccutcd  for  a  time.  From  year  to 
year  we  have  found  the  old  ecclesiastics  more  restive 
under  their  loss  of  support,  and  more  jealous  of  the 
progress  of  spiritual  life.  Mar  Shimon,  as  you  are 
informed,  has  for  years  openly  opposed  the  gospel, 
and  now  so  intimidates  the  interior  mountain  dis- 
tricts under  his  immediate  control,  that  it  seems 
preposterous  to  attempt  to  prosecute  labors  there, 
unless  on  a  separate  foundation.  And  we  now  find 
the  opposition  on  the  plains,  and  all  over  the  field, 
not  less  positive,  and  daily  becoming  more  concerted 
and  potent. 

"Mar  Yohanan  has  also,  for  years,  secretly,  and 
often  openly  and  most  offensively,  opposed  spiritual 
and  reformatory  labors.  Priest  John,  a  most  untir- 
ing and  reckless  man,  is  arousing  a  furor  of  zeal  for 
Old  Churchism, — a  fanaticism  that  will  not  be  likely 
to  subside  with  the  spasmodic  efforts  he  may  make. 
He  and  others  are  now  administering  the  communion 
every  few  weeks  to  the  whole  people,  without  dis- 
tinction of  character.  They  also  enjoin  the  fasts 
and  saints'  days,  resume  the  use  of  the  liturgy  in 


THE  NESTORIANS.  819 

ancient  Syriac,  burn  incense  daily,  bow  before  the 
altar,  and  make  the  sign  of  the  cross ;  though  some, 
as  yet,  refuse  to  come  into  all  these  measures. 

"  With  the  return  of  these  old  superstitions,  there 
is  also  a  painful  throwing  off  of  moral  restraint,  and 
intemperance  and  kindred  vices  have  greatly  in- 
creased. 

"  In  these  circumstances  the  question  has  arisen, 
first  in  Geog  Tapa,  and  subsequently  in  other  places ; 
Can  'the  evangelicals'  further  unite  in  the  morn- 
ing and  evening  service  conducted  by  priests  —  and 
there  happen  to  be  five  or  six  in  that  village  —  who 
are  reviving  these  superstitions  ?  Almost  the  whole 
church  are  surprisingly  united  in  the  decision  to 
withdraw.  This  has  been  done  for  the  last  two 
months,  and  we  find  upwards  of  one  hundred  mem- 
bers there,  who  are  firm,  and  daily  waxing  stronger 
in  faith  and  opposition  to  the  old  superstitions." 

These  and  other  distractions  seriously  hindered 
the  spiritual  growth  of  the  churches  in  gig^ofre- 
the  winter  of  1869  and  1870.  But  in  ^'""'• 
the  spring,  a  very  thorough  work  of  grace  was  en- 
joyed at  Degala,  and  it  was  believed  that  there 
were  more  than  twenty  genuine  conversions,  mostly 
among  the  aged  and  middle-aged.  The  church  in 
that  place  paid  half  the  salary  of  its  pastor,  and  was 
expected  soon  to  pay  the  whole.  Mar  Yooseph,  the 
young  bishop  at  Bootan,  wrote  that  his  congregation 
had  increased  to  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  that,  for 


320        MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

much  of  the  time,  Christ  and  his  salvation  formed 
the  only  theme  of  conversation.  He  had  hopes  con- 
cerning- considerably  more  than  a  score  of  new  con- 
verts. Deacon  Toma,  who  had  spent  a  year  in  the 
Seminary,  was  with  him  as  a  helper,  and  promised 
to  become  another  Deacon  Guwergis. 

The  immediate  foreign  mission  field  of  the  Nesto- 
The  foreign  ^^^^^^y  IS  among  tlic  Armenians  in  Russia, 
forTheVef  aud  thc  sauic  people  at  Tabriz,  Hamadan 
(the  ancient  Ecbatana),  Teheran,  and  Is- 
pahan in  Persia,  with  the  numerous  villages  in  the 
intervening  regions ;  descendants,  to  a  great  extent, 
of  Armenians  carried  captive,  in  the  year  1605,  from 
the  regions  of  Ararat  by  Shah  Abbas  the  Great. 
They  furnish  the  field  providentially  offered  to  the 
Nestorians,  as  the  Koords  do  for  the  Armenians  in 
Turkey.  Hamadan  is  about  three  hundred  miles 
southeast  of  Oroomiah,  on  the  great  caravan  road 
between  Tabriz  and  Bagdad.  On  the  28th  of  May, 
1870,  the  mission  resolved,  that  they  considered  it 
a  duty  urged  upon  them  to  embrace  at  once  within 
their  efforts  the  Armenians  and  the  Mussulman 
sects  of  Central  Persia,  by  planting-  a  station  at 
Hamadan;  and  they  expressed  the  hope  that  the 
Board  would  heartily  endorse  this  action,  and  help 
them  to  carry  it  out  without  delay,  and  also  to  oc- 
cupy Tabriz. 

The  members  of  the  mission,  in  the  spring  of  1870, 
were  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Coan,  Labaree,  Cochran,  and 


THE  NESTORIANS.  321 

Sliedd,  and  Dr.  Van  Norden,  with  their  wives,  and 
Miss  Dean,  principal  of  the  female  semin-  The  Mission- 
ary. The  mission  was  now  known  as  the  ^^' 
"  Mission  to  Persia,"  in  view  of  plans  to  reach  the 
entire  population  of  the  country.  To  Mr.  Cochran 
was  assigned  the  superintendence  of  twenty  out- 
stations  in   Oroomiah,  Sooldooz,  and  Ter-  Assignments 

of  fields  of 

gawer,  and  the  field  outlying  these,  to-  labor. 
gether  with  the  male  Seminary.  To  Mr.  Coan  was 
committed  the  press,  the  editing  of  the  "  Rays  of 
Light,"  care  of  the  treasury,  and  the  oversight  of 
the  city  church,  and  of  two  out-stations.  To  Messrs. 
Shedd  and  Labaree,  jointly,  was  given  the  care  of 
twenty  out-stations  in  Oroomiah  and  Salmas,  besides 
Tabriz  and  Hamadan,  with  the  Armenian  work  in 
general ;  and,  separately,  to  Mr.  Shedd  the  mountain 
field,  and  to  Mr.  Labaree  the  Mussulman  work.  Dr. 
Van  Norden  was  to  carry  on  his  medical  department, 
and  to  translate  the  Gospel  of  John  into  Turkish. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  the  Mission  to  Persia 
was  formally  transferred  to  the  care  of  the  Transfer  of 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions;  *^« -'-■-• 
reserving,  however,  the  Armenian  work  in  the  north- 
ern portion  of  the  field,  from  its  intimate  connection 
with  the  mission  to  the  Armenians  of  Turkey. 

It  remains  only  to  speak  of  the  honored  founder 
of  the  mission. 

Dr.  Perkins  lived  through  the  entire  connection 
of  the  mission  with  the  American  Board,  and  died 


322       MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

at  Chieopee,  Massachusetts,  on  the  31st  of  Decem- 
Death  and     bei",  1869,  whcEi  hc  had  nearly  attained  the 

character  of  n       •  /»  i         •  i 

Dr.  Perkins,  agc  of  sixtj-five ;  having  been  born  on 
the  12th  of  March,  1805.  He  graduated  at  Amherst 
College  in  1829,  taught  the  next  year  in  Amherst 
Academy  ;  spent  the  two  following  years  in  Andover 
Seminary ;  and  was  tutor  in  his  Alma  Mater  for  the 
greater  part  of  another  year.  The  engagement  last 
named  was  shortened  by  his  call  to  commence  the 
mission  among  the  Nestorians.  His  life,  from  the 
time  of  his  sailing  from  Boston,  with  Mrs.  Perkins, 
in  September,  1838,  for  six-and- thirty  years,  is  largely 
the  history  of  the  Nestorian  mission. 

The  careful  reader  of  this  history  will  not  need  a 
portraiture  of  his  character.  He  was  evidently  made 
for  the  position  he  so  long  occupied.  He  was  an 
acknowledged  leader  in  the  Lord's  host ;  a  Moses  and 
a  Joshua,  with  traits  of  character  resembling  those 
both  of  Elijah,  and  of  the  Apostle  Paul.  To  idle- 
ness, vagrancy,  and  drunkenness,  besetting  sius  of 
the  Nestorians,  he  was  the  old  prophet ;  and  in  his 
longing  desire  to  make  them  savingly  acquainted 
with  the  gospel,  he  was  the  apostle.  Their  spoken 
language  he  reduced  to  a  written  form,  and  gave 
them,  in  their  vernacular,  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments  ;  with  a  commentary  on  Genesis 
and  on  Daniel.  Is  it  too  much  to  pronounce  him 
the  Apostle  to  the  Nestorians  ?  He  came  to  his  end 
as  a  shock  of  corn  fully  ripe ;  and  glorious  results 


THE  NESTORIANS.  323 

of  his  self  denying,  and  in  some  respects  suffering 
mission,  he  will  assuredly  behold  in  the  heavenly 
world.  Where  in  his  native  land  could  he  have 
labored,  with  the  prospect  of  so  large  a  spiritual 
harvest,  taking  no  account  of  the  widely  reacting 
influence  of  his  labors  on  the  churches  at  home  ? 
And  we  might  propose  the  same  inquiry  with  respect 
to  the  departed  Stoddard,  and  Rhea,  and  Grant,  and 
Fidelia  Fiske,  and  others,  both  among  the  dead,  and 
the  living. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

STMA. 

1857-1860. 

Dr.  Eli  Smith,  whose  name  has  au  honorable 
Death  of  Dr.  P^^^e  amoDg"  the  translators  of  the  Scrip- 
smith.  tures,   died   at   Beirut,    Sabbath  morning', 

January  11th,  1857.^  Thirty  years  had  elapsed  since 
his  first  arrival  in  Syria,  and  he  had  before  been  con- 
nected for  several  months  with  the  press  at  Malta. 
The  work       lu  1829,  he  made  an  exploring  visit,  with 

performed 

by  him.  the  author,  to  the  Ionian  Islands,  the 
Morea,  and  the  Grecian  Archipelago ;  and  the  next 
year,  he  and  Dr.  Dwight  explored  Armenia,  and  a 
part  of  the  Nestorian  country.  The  other  more  im- 
portant events  of  his  life  are  so  far  known  to  the 
reader,  that  they  need  not  be  repeated. 

The  mind  of  Dr.  Smith  was  rich  in  general  prin- 

^  Dr.  Smith  expressed  a  decided  opinion,  in  his  last  sickness,  that 
no  memoir  of  his  life  and  labors  should  be  published,  since  he  had 
never  kept  a  journal,  and  there  were  not  sufficient  materials.  In  this 
he  was  probably  correct,  considering  what  the  public  would  have  ex- 
pected. A  well  written  obituary,  somewhat  extended  for  that  publica. 
tion,  may  be  found  in  the  Missionary  Herald  for  1857,  pp.  224-229. 
See,  also,  pp.  123-125. 


SYRIA.  325 

ciples,  and  in  well-considered  applications  of  them 
to  the  missionary  work ;  thong-h,  in  this  latter  re- 
spect, he  was  restricted  more  than  his  brethren 
among  the  Armenians,  by  the  less  pliable  nature  of 
the  materials  on  which  he  was  called  to  operate. 
After  having-  explored  countries  which  others  were 
to  occupy ;  after  contributing  largely  to  the  accuracy, 
variety,  and  value  of  Dr.  Robinson's  "Biblical  Re- 
searches" ;  and  after  securing  the  formation  of  type 
that  would  be  acceptable  to  the  most  fastidious  Arab ; 
he  set  himself  to  prepare  a  new  translation  of  the 
Bible  into  the  Arabic  language.  With  this  in  view, 
he  pursued  the  study  of  Arabic  and  kindred  lan- 
guages to  a  greater  extent  than  was  necessary  to 
become  either  a  good  speaker,  or  a  good  preacher. 
His  learning  was  both  extensive  and  accurate,  and 
he  was  continually  adding  to  his  stores  by  a  wide 
range  of  judicious  reading.  To  a  good  knowledge 
of  the  ancient  classics,  he  added  an  acquaintance, 
more  or  less  perfect,  with  the  French,  Italian,  Ger- 
man, and  Turkish  languages.  With  the  Hebrew  he 
was  familiar ;  and  the  Arabic,  by  far  the  most  dif- 
ficult of  all,  was  to  him  a  second  vernacular. 

Dr.  Smith  was  eminently  a  man  of  business,  and 
was  accustomed  to  give  attention  to  the  minutest 
details.  He  spent  much  time  in  superintending  the 
cutting,  casting,  and  perfecting  of  the  various  fonts 
of  type,  made  from  models  that  he  had  accurately 
drawn  from  the  best  specimens  of  Arabic  caligraphy.i 

1  See  vol.  i.  p.  233. 


326      MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

For  mauy  years  be  read  the  proof-sheets  of  nearly 
every  work  that  was  printed  at  the  mission  press ; 
and  he  bestowed  much  thought  and  labor  upon  the 
mechanical  apparatus  and  fixtures  of  that  establish- 
ment. 

To  him  every  pursuit  was  subsidiary  to  a  faithful 
translation  of  the  Word  of  God  into  the  Arabic  lan- 
guage. Yet  he  did  not  neglect  the  regular  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel,  which  he  regarded  as  the  first 
duty  of  every  missionary ;  and  having  early  become 
a  fluent  speaker  in  the  Arabic,  this  was  ever  his  de- 
light. "  Almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  his  preaching 
was  expository  and  didactic.  In  clear,  lucid,  logical 
exposition  of  divine  truth,  he  had  few  equals.  His 
language,  though  select  and  grammatical,  was  al- 
ways simple,  and  within  the  comprehension  of  the 
humblest  of  his  hearers.  In  regard  to  matter,  his 
discourses  were  eminently  Biblical,  sound,  and  evan- 
gelical. In  form  and  costume,  his  theology  was  that 
of  Edwards,  and  Dwight,  and  Woods,  —  the  theology 
of  the  Puritan  fathers  of  New  England.  Upon  this 
system  of  divine  truth  his  own  hopes  of  eternal  life 
rested,  and  it  was  this  which  he  earnestly  labored, 
for  thirty  years,  to  infuse  into  the  Arabic  literature, 
and  transplant  into  the  hard  and  stony  soil  of  Syria's 
moral  desert." 

The  author,  having  had  the  best  opportunities  for 
knowing  Dr.  Smith,  bears  testimony  to  his  excellent 
judgment,  and  to  the  great  value  of  his  correspond- 


SYRIA.  327 

ence  with  the  executive  officers  of  the  Board,  in  the 
formiDg-  period  of  the  missionary  work. 

It  did  not  please  the  Lord  to  grant  the  earnest 
desire  of  Dr.  Smith  to  live  and  complete  his  trans- 
lation of  the  Scriptures ;  and  it  must  he  admitted, 
that  his  ideal  of  perfection  in  the  work  was  such, 
that  it  is  doubtful  whether  he  ever  could  have  been 
satisfied  that  his  entire  translation  was  ready  for 
publication.  Only  Genesis,  Exodus,  and  the  first 
sixteen  chapters  of  Matthew,  had  received  his  final 
revision,  and  were  acknowledg-ed  by  him  as  com- 
plete. But,  with  the  help  of  Mr.  Bistany,  his  as- 
sistant translator,  he  had  put  into  Arabic  the  entire 
New  Testament,  the  Pentateuch,  the  Historical 
Books  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  the  books  of  Isaiah, 
Jeremiah,  Lamentations,  Hosea,  Joel,  Amos,  Oba- 
diah,  Jonah,  Micah,  and  Nahum.  He  had  revised, 
and  nearly  prepared  for  the  press,  the  whole  of  the 
New  Testament,  and  all  except  Jeremiah,  Lamenta- 
tions, and  the  last  fourteen  chapters  of  Isaiah,  of  the 
books  named  in  the  Old  Testament.  With  these 
finished  specimens,  and  with  so  large  a  portion  of  the 
remainder  translated  and  carefully  revised,  tog-ether 
with  the  helps  to  translation  which  he  had  accumu- 
lated, his  brethren  believed  that  he  had  laid  the 
foundation  for  one  of  the  best  versions  of  the  sacred 
Scriptures  to  be  found  in  any  language. 

Dr.  Van  Dyck  had  been  connected  with  the  mis- 
sion since  1840,  and  very  soon  made  himself  master 


328     MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

of  the  spoken  Arabic,  in  which  he  greatly  excelled 
Dr.vanDyck  ^^  ^  prcachcr.  It  soon  appeared,  that  he 
irton^ii^""  was  the  man  to  succeed  Dr.  Smith  as  trans- 
lator of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  mission  ar- 
ranged his  removal,  for  that  purpose,  from  Sidon  to 
Beirut ;  so  that  in  due  time  he  was  enabled  to  bring 
the  great  work  to  successful  completion  .^ 

Mr.  Aiken  had  joined  Mr.  Wilson  at  Hums,  a  new 
The  Mission-  statiou  north  of  Damascus,  where  he  was 
*"^^'  bereaved  of  his  wife  before  she  had  been 

six  months  in  the  field.  The  arrangement  for  1857 
was  that  Beirut  should  be  occupied  by  Messrs.  Van 
Dyck  and  Ford,  and  Mr.  Hurter,  the  printer ;  Abeih 
by  Messrs.  Calhoun  and  Bliss ;  Sidon  by  Mr.  Eddy  ; 
Deir  el  Korar  by  Mr.  Bird;  Bhamdun  by  Mr.  Ben- 
ton ;  Tripoli  by  Messrs.  Jessup  and  Lyons ;  and 
Hums  by  Mr.  Wilson.  Dr.  Thomson  and  Mr.  Aiken 
were  in  the  United  States ;  the  latter  with  health  so 
impaired  as  to  forbid  his  resuming  his  mission.  He 
had  previously  married  Miss  Cheney.  In  the  follow- 
ing year.  Miss  Jane  E.  Johnson  and  Miss  Amelia  C. 
Temple  arrived  to  take  the  care  of  a  girls'  boarding- 
school  at  Suk  el  Ghurb,  on  Mount  Lebanon  ;  but  the 
former  was  soon  found  unable  to  endure  the  climate. 
Dr.  Thomson,  while  in  this  country,  published  a  val- 
uable work  on  Biblical  literature,  in  two  volumes, 
entitled  "  The  Land  and  the  Book."  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
De  Forest  had  come  to  this  country  in  the  hope  of  a 

1  See  chapter  xl. 


SYRIA.  329 

restoration  of  his  health ;  but  ou  the  24th  of  No- 
vember, 1858,  this  excellent  missionary  was  released 
from  long  and  severe  physical  sufferings  by  Dgathof  Dr. 
a  peaceful  death.  ^'^°''^^'- 

The  health  of  Mrs.  Wilson  made  it  necessary,  for 
a  time,  to  leave  Hums  without  a  resident 

The  Schools. 

missionary.  The  principal  operations,  both 
here  and  at  Deir  el-Komr,  were  through  schools  for 
both  sexes,  which  had  been  embarrassed  by  Syrian 
and  Greek  opposers,  but  in  no  case, suppressed.  The 
female  department  of  the  school  at  Deir  el-Komr  com- 
menced with  a  dozen  pupils,  but  in  six  mouths  the 
attendance  exceeded  fifty.  When  Mr.  Bird  came  to 
that  place,  he  thought  there  were  not  six  females  in 
the  nominally  Christian  population,  who  could  read ; 
but  a  year  had  not  passed  before  half  the  pupils  in 
his  girls'  school  could  read  their  Bibles.  There  were 
other  mountain  schools  under  the  care  of  the  sta- 
tion, and  in  one  there  were  more  than  sixty  pupils. 

The  following  contrast  of  the  state  of  things  in 
1857  with  what  it  had  been  fifteen  years  progress  in 
before,  indicates  a  preparatory  work  in  no  ^^^^'^  ^^^''^' 
small  degree  encouraging.  "  Then,  the  missionary 
could  hardly  purchase  here  the  necessaries  of  life ; 
and  when  he  left,  he  was  followed  by  stones  and 
execrations.  Now,  he  is  welcomed  and  honored. 
Then,  fear  kept  even  his  friends  from  venturing  to 
visit  him ;  now,  priests  and  even  a  bishop  are 
ashamed  not  to  return  his  calls.     Then,  the  Prot- 


330    MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

estant  sect  could  not  be  vilified  enough ;  now,  it  is 
spoken  of  with  favor  in  public  and  in  hig-h  places. 
The  old  Emir  Beshir,  once  the  persecutor  and  ter- 
ror of  Protestants,  has  passed  away,  and  his  dilap- 
idated palace  is  used  as  barracks  for  Turkish  soldiers. 
His  prime  minister,  or  secretary,  who  did  much  in- 
jury to  the  cause  of  evangelical  religion,  and  whose 
mansion  was,  as  it  were,  the  stronghold  of  the 
enemy,  is  no  more.  What  remains  of  this  Ahith- 
ophel's  house  is  the  abode  of  the  missionary,  and 
furnishes  apartments  for  Scripture  schools,  and  a 
Protestant  chapel.  His  sons-in-law  were  leaders  in 
the  movement  which  brought  us  to  Deir  el-Komr, 
and  are  among  our  firmest  friends.  His  grandchil- 
dren learn  the  folly  of  popery  by  the  knowledge  of 
the  Bible  they  acquire  in  our  schools. 

"  Time  was,  when  every  one  trembled  at  the  anath- 
ema of  the  clergy.  Now,  the  latter  dare  not  show 
their  impotence  by  pronouncing  it.  Some  of  the 
people  would  be  glad  to  be  thus  dissevered  from  a 
church  which  they  abhor,  for  they  would  thus  not 
only  gain  their  end,  but  retain  the  sympathies  of 
many  who  would  else  oppose  them.  Those  who  send 
their  children  to  our  schools,  have  been  refused  ad- 
mission to  the  confessional  and  the  eucharist ;  the 
Maronite  bishop,  however,  has  at  length  yielded  the 
point,  and  tries  to  win,  rather  than  compel.  Their 
high  school  he  has  made  free  of  charge,  and  has 
promised  to  open  a  girls'  school  beside.     In   the 


SYRIA.  331 

Greek  Catholic  communion,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
men  and  some  of  the  women  remain  "suspended;" 
yet  they  are  of  good  courage,  some  glad  of  so  ex- 
cellent an  excuse  to  get  rid  of  the  confessional,  and 
others  incensed  at  the  glaring  injustice  that  would 
admit  the  drunkard  and  the  notoriously  vicious,  but 
exclude  the  respectable  and  the  moral.  We  have 
here  the  anomaly  of  those  being  thrust  out  of  the 
church,  who  are  still  its  very  pillars,  its  substantial 
supporters,  whose  names  are  known,  and  whose  in- 
fluence is  felt,  throughout  the  region. 

"We  have  reason  to  thank  God  and  take  courage. 
Still  we  long  to  see  a  work  more  purely  spiritual. 
Light  is  being  diffused,  but  there  is  not  the  corre- 
sponding religious  interest.  The  truth  is  viewed  by 
many  as  a  beautiful  theory,  the  heart  remaining  a 
flint.  We  have  to  regret  the  fact,  that  some  of 
the  best  minds  in  the  place  are  tinged  with  skepti- 
cism. Happily  the  most  influential  are,  notwith- 
standing, our  firm  friends,  and  are  in  favor  of  good 
education  and  good  morals." 

Ain  Zehalty,  a  village  situated  in  the  heart  of 
Lebanon,    has    been    already   mentioned.^ 

Ain  Zehalty. 

Mr.  Bird  says,  "  We  now  have  there  five 
church -members.    There  have  been  regular  Sabbath 
services   under  the   charge   of   the   native   helper, 
Khalil.     The  audience  has  been  on  the  increase,  and 
is  now  not  only  larger  than  that  in  Deir  el-Komr, 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  383. 


332     MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

but  is  composed  of  better  materials.  Those  who 
come  desire  instructiou,  and  are  regular  atteudauts 
and  declared  Protestauts."  Au  Ain  Zehaltian,  when 
out  of  his  village,  if  not  a  Druze,  was  set  down  at 
once  as  a  Protestant.  The  day  school  in  that  place 
had  forty  scholars,  and  half  as  many  attended  the 
evening  school  for  adults.  This  school  was  for  the 
special  purpose  of  studying  the  Bible,  and  the  pupils 
had  gone  through  the  historical  books  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments.  Their  custom  on  Saturday 
and  Sabbath  evenings  was  to  read  the  devotional 
parts,  and  hold  a  prayer  meeting. 

Mr.  Ford  made  a  visit  to  Hasbeiya  in  February, 
Church  at  1857,  with  Mr.  Jones,  Secretary  of  the 
Hasbeiya.  T^^j.^^^^^  Missious  Aid  Socicty.  He  had 
never  before  been  in  that  region,  and  speaks  highly 
of  the  native  laborers.  Of  the  church-members  he 
says :  "  When  compared  with  the  rock  from  which 
they  were  hewn,  and  the  hole  of  the  pit  from  which 
they  were  digged,  they  show  the  genuineness  of  the 
work  of  grace  in  their  hearts."  "  The  signs  of  the 
times,"  he  adds,  "in  the  community  around,  are 
most  encouraging.  I  will  only  refer  now  to  a  re- 
markable stirring  up  of  the  Maronites  to  defend 
themselves  against  the  inroads  made  by  the  gospel 
upon  their  hitherto  solid  ranks.  Their  ecclesiastics 
Attitude  of     have  always  maintained  an  attitude  of  proud 

the  Maronite 

clergy.  contcmpt,    as    though    conscious    of   the 

strength  of  their  hold  upon  their  people,  aud  they 


SYRIA.  333 

have  rarely  deigned  to  come  into  personal  contact 
with  the  despised  preachers  of  the  gospel.  But  the 
serious  diminution  of  their  numbers  in  various  parts 
south  of  us,  and  the  diffusion  of  spiritual  light  among 
the  rest  of  their  flocks,  have  forced  them  down  from 
their  assumed  elevation,  and  now  they  select  the 
ablest  of  their  priests,  ordain  him  bishop,  and  send 
him  on  a  crusade  through  Deir  el-Komr,  Hasbeiya, 
Merj  Aiun,  and  so  on  to  Alma,  where  the  spirit  of 
Asaad  es-Shidiak,  the  modern  martyr  of  Syria,  seems 
to  be  revived  in  the  hearts  of  a  simple  people,  pre- 
paring them  to  brave  death  itself  for  the  Gospel's 
sake.  This  bishop  has  sought  public  discussions 
with  Mr.  Bird,  at  Deir  el-Komr,  and  also  with  Mr. 
Wortabet,  at  Hasbeiya.  In  the  latter  place  there 
had  been  two  such  discussions  held  just  before  we 
arrived.  In  the  first,  the  bishop  was  effectually 
caught  in  his  own  craftiness,  and  so  completely 
worsted,  that  he  and  his  friends  came  to  the  second 
session  prepared  to  regain  by  violence  the  advantage 
they  had  lost  in  argument ;  and  the  result  was  a 
stormy  debate,  terminated  abruptly  by  an  assault 
upon  some  of  the  Protestants  present." 

Kefr  Shema,  a  promising  out-station,  became  a 
station  by  the  removal  thither  from  Aleppo 

•'  ^  Kefr  Shema. 

of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eddy.     No  objection  to 
their  residence  was  made  by  the  people,  though  it 
was  not  four  years  since  they  had  combined  in  a 
desperate  attempt  to  drive  all  Protestants  from  the 


334    MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

village.  The  missionaries  were  visited  and  welcomed 
by  many. 

Honorable  mention  is  made  of  Antonius  Yanni, 
A  high-  the  only  native  Protestant  in  Tripoli,  who 
Christian,  had  been  two  years  connected  with  the 
mission  church,  and  had  suffered  much  for  the  cause 
of  Christ.  He  had  refused  the  honorable  and  hig-hly 
lucrative  post  of  vice-consul  for  Russia,  because  its 
acceptance  would  necessarily  have  made  him  sub- 
servient to  the  corrupt  Greek  Church,  and  an  at- 
tendant upon  its  services. 

There  had  been  preaching  for  several  years  at  Ar- 
„  ,. .  amon,  three  miles  from  Abeih.     But  the 

toleration,  cougrcgatiou  was  broken  up  in  midsum- 
mer by  a  mob.  Mr.  Calhoun,  who  was  regarded 
with  great  respect  by  the  people,  visited  the  place, 
and  in  a  very  kind,  gentle  manner,  told  the  people 
that  religious  freedom  was  guaranteed  to  all,  and 
that  they  of  the  mission  should  be  allowed  to  wor- 
ship in  their  own  hired  house.  The  people  listened 
with  attention.  On  Monday  Mr.  Calhoun  referred 
the  case  to  the  English  Consul-general,  and  to  the 
acting  Consul  for  the  United  States.  Late  in  the 
week,  two  officials  from  the  government  in  Beirut, 
and  two  from  the  governor  of  the  mountain  district, 
met  Mr.  Calhoun  at  Aramon.  "  When  the  time  for 
service  arrived,  the  officials  publicly  stated,  that 
there  is  to  be  perfect  religious  freedom  for  all;  — 
to-day,  to-morrow,  this  year,  next  year,  and  for  all 


SYRIA.  335 

time.  This  they  repeated  over  and  over  again,  as 
the  will  of  the  Sultan,  and  then  ordered  some  one  to 
go  upon  the  house-top  and  proclaim  aloud,  after  the 
manner  of  the  Mohammedans,  that  it  was  time  for 
prayers,  and  that  all  who  wished  to  come  might  come. 
Services  were  then  conducted  as  usual,  with  an  at- 
tentive audience;  and  at  the  close,  in  a  place  ap- 
pointed, the  officials  demanded  that  the  persecutors 
should  ask  pardon  of  the  persecuted,  which  was  ac- 
cordingly done,  many  kissing  the  hand  of  the  man 
whose  house  they  had  entered,  and  which  we  had 
hired.  The  governor  also  called  some  of  the  men 
to  his  own  village,  and  threatened  them  with  severe 
punishment  if  they  should  again  molest  any  one  on 
account  of  his  religion.  He  then,  Mohammedan  as 
he  was,  repeated,  in  substance,  the  sentiment  ad- 
vanced, in  the  presence  of  his  officers,  by  Mr.  Cal- 
houn, that  religion  pertains  to  the  individual  con- 
science and  to  God  alone."  Henceforward  Mr. 
Aramon,  the  first  teacher  in  the  seminary,  met  with 
no  opposition  in  a  regular  preaching  service. 

The  number  of  pupils  in  the  Seminary,  at  the 
close   of  the    year,   was    twenty-five,    and  prospect  of  a 

,  .  native    mia- 

some  of  them  were  of  unusual  promise,  ^stry. 
A  theological  class,  of  four  middle-aged,  married 
men,  was  kept  up  during  the  summer,  and  then 
they  went  forth  preaching  the  gospel,  or  laboring 
as  teachers  and  colporters.  Thoroughly-educated 
young  men,  otherwise  qualified  to  preach  the  gospel, 


336     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

could  only  be  obtained  to  a  limited  extent.  But 
men  of  riper  age,  of  good  common  sense  and  simple- 
hearted  piety,  could  be  fitted,  by  a  few  months  of 
direct  Biblical  training  annually,  to  preach  to  the 
uninstructed  peasantry,  —  a  labor  for  which  there 
was  the  loudest  call. 

On  the  12th  of  January,  1858,  a  deputation  of 
A  new  call     four  youug  uicu  was  received  by  Mr.  Eddy, 

for  the  gos- 

pel.  at  Sidon,  from  a  large  village  east  of  Tyre, 

called  Cana.  These  brought  a  letter,  signed  by  twen- 
ty-six persons,  professing  their  dissatisfaction  with 
their  own  corrupt  Church,  in  connection  with  which 
they  obtained  no  knowledge  of  God  or  of  heaven, 
and  asking  that  a  preacher  might  be  sent  to  them 
at  once,  and  a  teacher  for  their  children.  They  de- 
nied being  actuated  by  any  worldly  motive,  and  were 
sent  back  with  two  New  Testaments,  and  the  assur- 
ance that  some  one  would  be  sent  to  instruct  them 
as  soon  as  possible.  They  were,  accordingly,  visited 
by  Daher  Abud,  a  faithful  native  helper,  who  was 
much  gratified  with  the  zeal  and  interest  he  found 
among  them.  In  February,  Mr.  Eddy  went  himself, 
and  was  warmly  welcomed.  About  forty  men  at- 
tended his  preaching,  whose  eagerness  to  hear  and 
converse  detained  him  over  the  next  day. 

From  thence  he  went  to  Alma,  a  village  of  five 
Church  at  hundred  inhabitants,  a  long  day  from  Cana, 
^^*  beautifully  situated  upon  the  summit  of  a 

high  range  of  hills,  two  miles  from  the  sea.     The 


SYRIA.  337 

♦ 

evaugelical  niovemeut  bad  commenced  there  two 
years  before,  and  there  was  a  Protestant  community 
of  about  forty,  including  nine  members  of  the 
church.  "  This  was  considered,  in  some  respects," 
writes  Mr.  Eddy,  "  one  of  the  brightest  spots  in  the 
Syrian  fiekl.  The  great  adversary  of  souls  tried  in 
vain,  by  the  terrors  of  persecution  and  the  seductions 
of  flattery,  to  recover  the  people  to  himself.  Failing 
in  this,  he  sought  to  sow  discord  among  brethren, 
and  thus  to  conquer  them ;  and  for  several  months 
past  he  has  rejoiced  in  seeing  this  '  house  divided 
against  itself.'  I  felt  much  anxiety  as  to  the  issue 
of  my  visit,  and  had  made  it  the  subject  of  special 
prayer.  I  spent  three  days  among  the  people,  one 
of  which  was  the  Sabbath.  The  conversation  and 
the  preaching  were  mainly  directed  to  the  end  of 
securing  peace,  and  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer 
was  observed.  On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day 
the  clouds  parted,  and  the  Saviour  revealed  himself 
iu  love.  Then,  amid  tears,  and  confessions,  and 
promises,  and  prayers,  the  covenant  of  peace  was 
signed,  and  thanksgiving  offered  to  God,  and  we 
separated." 

Mr.  Eddy  visited  Cana  twice  in  the  summer,  and 
found  the  people,  young  and  old,  eager  to  successfiu 

ministry  at 

be   instructed   in   the  Word   of  God.     So  cana. 
many  children   attended  the  school  from  Catholic 
families,  that  the  priest  sent  word  to  the  bishop  in 
Tyre,  that  if  he  did  not  interpose  his  authority,  all 

VOL.  II.  22 


338     MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

• 

the  village  would  turn  Protestant.  Accordingly  the 
bishop  came,  bringing  with  him  several  wealthy  and 
influential  men  of  the  city.  The  Protestants  were 
all  invited  to  assemble  at  the  house  of  the  head  man 
of  the  village,  and  then  these  friends  of  the  bishop, 
in  company  with  the  head  man  and  the  priest,  la- 
bored most  of  the  night  to  induce  them  to  return  to 
their  church.  It  would  have  been  beneath  the  dig- 
nity of  the  bishop  to  have  interceded  directly  with 
them,  especially  if  he  had  not  succeeded.  The  effort 
was  a  failure.  Next  the  Prior  of  all  the  convents  in 
that  part  of  the  country,  hearing  of  the  bishop's 
ill  success,  came,  and  sought  to  obtain,  by  love  and 
promises,  what  the  bishop  had  failed  to  accomplish 
by  threats.  But  he  too  returned  disappointed;  and 
coincident  with  his  departure,  two  persons  came  out 
from  the  Catholic  Church  and  joined  the  Protes- 
tants. 

The  month  of  November  found  Mr.  Eddy  again 
First  com-  at  Alma,  to  dedicate  the  first  completed 
esuat  Protestant  church  in  Syria.     The  enrolled 

church  in 

Syria.  Protcstauts    numbered    then    about   fifty. 

Dr.  Van  Dyck,  before  leaving  Sidon,  had  selected  a 
site  for  the  building  and  seen  the  foundation  laid, 
and  had  since  collected  from  native  Christians  and 
foreign  residents  nearly  the  amount  required  for  the 
church,  which  was  of  stone,  thirty-two  feet  long  and 
twenty-two  feet  broad,  and  capable  of  holding  from 
one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  persons.     It 


SYRIA.  339 

cost  about  three  hundred  dollars ;  thirty  of  which 
were  contributed  by  the  people  of  Alma  out  of  their 
deep  poverty,  besides  a  large  amount  freely  bestowed 
in  labor.  No  opposition  was  made  by  the  govern- 
ment to  its  erection. 

After  the  dedicatory  sermon,  the  Lord's  Supper 
was  administered  to  the  nine  church-members,  who 
renewed  their  vows  to  the  Lord  ;  and  these,  with 
other  appropriate  services,  made  it  a  Sabbath  long 
to  be  remembered. 

In  the  summer  of  1859,  Mr.  Eddy  again  visited 
Cana,  taking  Mrs.  Eddy  with  him  to  secure  Themission- 

.  ary's  wife  at 

access  to  the  women.  He  pitched  his  tent,  cana. 
the  first  night,  on  the  banks  of  the  ancient  Leoutes, 
six  or  seven  miles  north  of  Tyre,  and  the  next  day 
at  noon  they  were  at  Cana.  The  poor  women,  igno- 
rant, yet  eager  to  be  taught,  had  never  before  en- 
joyed such  an  opportunity,  and  prized  it  exceed- 
ingly. 

The  people  had  passed  through  severe  sufferings. 
Several  of  the  women  had  been  beaten,  and 

Persecution. 

the  men  had  a  bitter  tale  to  tell  of  oppres- 
sion by  their  governor.  He  demanded  a  duplicate 
payment  of  taxes,  and  when  the  head  man  of  the 
Protestants  respectfully  showed  him  a  receipt,  with 
his  own  seal  affixed,  he  ordered  him  to  be  severely 
beaten  and  placed  in  confinement.  He  then  sent 
officers  to  bring  others  of  the  Protestants  before 
him,  but,  suspecting  his  intention,  all   except  two 


340     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

fled  into  the  opeu  country.  These  two,  when  brought, 
were  thrown  down  upon  the  grouud  before  the  gov- 
ernor, and  beaten  with  staves  without  mercy  upon 
their  backs  and  feet,  he  encouraging  his  servants  to 
deal  harder  blows  with  commands  and  threats. 
Thus  beaten  till  their  backs  were  livid  and  swollen, 
they  were  wounded  also  by  being  kicked  and  stepped 
on  by  those  who  beat  them,  to  make  them  lie  still. 
When  hardly  left  alive,  chains  were  placed  upon 
their  necks  and  feet,  their  hands  were  placed  in 
wooden  stocks,  and  they  were  cast  into  prison,  where 
they  spent  the  night  with  companions  who  had 
been  previously  beaten.  Next  morning  they  were 
brought  before  the  governor,  and  two  of  them  were 
again  beaten,  when  they  were  dismissed  with  a 
threat,  that  if  they  left  the  village  he  would  pull 
down  their  houses.  They  however,  despite  his 
threats,  made  their  way  to  Tyre,  whence  they  em- 
barked in  a  vessel  to  Beirut,  to  seek  redress  from 
the  Pasha,  and  sympathy  from  the  missionaries. 
When  they  appeared  before  the  Pasha's  court,  their 
backs  were  ordered  to  be  uncovered,  and  their  wounds 
exhibited ;  and  the  greatest  indignation  was  ex- 
pressed by  the  members  of  the  council  against  him 
who  had  so  barbarously  treated  them,  in  violation  of 
the  laws  of  the  realm." 

The  governor  was  sent  for,  and  the  indications 
were,  that  he  would  be  expelled  from  office.  But  he 
was  not.     The  Pasha   suddenly  changed   his   tone 


SYRIA.  341 

towards  the  Protestants,  ordered  one  of  them  to  be 
cast  into  prison  on  a  false  charge  by  the  governor, 
and  forbade  the  council  to  proceed  further  against 
him.  The  Cana  people  were  detained  two  months 
from  their  homes.  The  proffered  interposition  of 
the  English  Consul  was  rudely  rejected,  and  their 
release,  when  it  was  effected,  was  with  no  regard  to 
the  claims  of  justice.  The  visit  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eddy  at  that  time  must  have  been  very  seasonable 
and  acceptable. 

From  Cana  they  proceeded  to  Alma,  where  they 
remained  about  a  week.    The  women  here,  Among  the 

women  at 

being*  more  numerous  and  more  enlight-  Aima. 
eued,  and  some  of  them  members  of  the  church, 
were  prepared  to  receive  greater  benefit  from  the 
instruction  of  a  Christian  sister.  Three  additions 
were  made  to  the  church.  The  people,  though  poor, 
had  here  also  been  compelled  by  their  governor  to 
pay  their  taxes  twice. 

The  Seminary  at  Abeih  was  now  made  more  di- 
rectly a  training  school  for  native  preach-  Training  of 
ers  and  helpers  ;  and  a  female  boarding-  ^^^p®"^*- 
school  was  opened  at  Suk  el-Ghurb,  a  village  six 
miles  north  of  Abeih,  under  the  direction  of  Miss 
Temple.  The  training  of  female  helpers  was  its 
leading  object,  and  the  removal  of  Mr.  Bliss  thither 
made  a  home  for  the  pupils. 

Ain  Zehalty  continued  to  be  a  marked  village, 
and  the  papists  made  great  efforts  to  re-  ^j^  zehaity 
claim  it.     A  Maronite  bishop  at  one  time,  ^*"'' 


342     MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

and  a  wily  Jesuit  at  another,  repaired  thither,  at  the 
nrg-ent  request  of  the  papal  party,  to  uproot  the 
dangerous  exotic.  The  coming  of  the  bishop  was 
with  great  boasting  on  the  part  of  his  adherents, 
but,  much  to  their  chagrin,  he  declined  com- 
mencing a  controversy  with  Khalil,  the  native 
helper  there ;  and  was  afterwards  so  hotly  plied 
with  texts  of  Scripture  by  some  of  the  church-mem- 
bers whom  he  ventured  to  attack,  that  he  fled  for 
refuge  to  the  more  accommodating  "  traditions  of 
the  elders."  It  was  supposed  that  the  disciple  of 
Loyola  would  carry  all  before  him ;  but  the  un- 
daunted Bible-men  were  more  than  ready  to  meet 
him,  which  they  did  effectively;  and  his  visit  was 
productive  of  more  good  than  harm. 

The  report  of  the  mission  for  1858,  furnishes 
many  striking  evidences  of  the  influence  exerted, 
struggles  in  Gspecially  in  the  department  of  education. 
ment  W:  Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  first  Protes- 
tant school  at  Tripoli,  the  Greeks  opened  a 
school  for  boys,  which  soon  became  large  and  pros- 
perous. And  when  the  Protestant  girls'  school  be- 
came a  success,  a  board  of  directors  was  organized, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Greek  bishop,  to  break  up 
the  other,  if  possible.  Not  finding  an  educated 
woman  in  Syria  who  was  not  a  Protestant,  the 
Greeks  applied  to  two  Protestant  young  ladies  to 
take  their  school,  but  without  success.  To  secure 
the  needful  pecuniary  means,  they  constrained  the 


SYRIA.  843 

Patriarch  to  surrender  a  part  of  the  convent  rev- 
enues for  this  purpose.  The  Russian  g-overnment, 
moreover,  took  up  the  subject  of  education  in  Syria, 
and  remitted  twelve  thousand  piasters  (four  hundred 
and  eig-hty  dollars)  to  the  Greek  school  directors  in 
Tripoli  for  the  city  schools;  but  with  the  injunc- 
tion, that  the  tenets  of  the  Greek  Church  should  be 
the  chief  subject  of  instruction. 

Nineteen  persons  were  added  to  the  churches  of 
the  mission   during  the  first  half  of  the  Accessions 

to  the 

year  1859.  This  of  course  involved  vari-  churches. 
ous  local  indications  of  prog-ress,  for  which  the 
limits  of  this  history  afford  no  space.  A  new  place, 
however,  is  broug-ht  to  our  notice  by  Mr.  Eddy, 
named  Deir  Mimas,  a  large  villag*e  on  the  river 
Litany.  A  few  had  here  professed  Prot-  jjewProtes- 
estantism  about  two  years  before,  and  had  ^"y  T'Sek 
encountered  a  storm  of  persecution  from  "°'^' 
members  of  the  Greek  Church,  and  from  the  Mo- 
hammedan governor  of  their  district.  Yet  they 
had  constantly  increased  in  numbers  and  strength. 
The  missionary  spending  several  days  there,  was 
delighted  to  find  an  audience  each  evening  of  more 
than  one  hundred,  after  their  severe  labors,  all  eager 
to  hear.  The  number  of  men  professing  Protestant- 
ism was  above  sixty,  and  counting  the  women  and 
the  children,  the  number  was  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
the  largest  in  Syria.  Their  enemies  were  on  the 
alert,  and  it  was  a  sad  fact,  that  no  competent  native 


344    MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

teacher  could  be  found  to  reside  among  them.  They 
were  then  dependent  on  a  native  teacher,  who  came 
to  them  each  Sabbath  from  a  distance,  having  first 
preached  in  his  own  villlage. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  mission  in  this  year 
A  cheering     was  onc  of  unusual  interest.     "  From  the 

annual  meet-  ,        . 

iag  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  meeting,  it 

was  apparent  that  there  was  much  of  a  spirit  of 
prayer  among  the  native  brethren.  The  native 
female  prayer  meeting  in  Beirut  was  more  fully 
attended  than  usual,  and  the  union  meetings  in 
Arabic  and  English,  held  in  the  chapel,  in  which 
the  missionaries  and  native  brethren  united  and 
large  audiences  assembled,  were  occasions  of  deep 
interest.  The  statements  made  in  the  meeting  when 
the  annual  reports  were  read,  at  which  W.  A.  Booth, 
Esq.,  of  New  York  City,  and  Hon.  Alpheus  Hardy, 
of  Boston,  a  member  of  the  Prudential  Committee, 
were  providentially  present,  filled  the  minds  of  all 
with  the  conviction,  that  never  before  in  the  history 
of  the  Syria  mission  have  we  had  so  much  encour- 
agement, or  such  strong  proofs  that  God  is  with  us, 
and  that  the  work  is  going  forward  in  this  land." 

Before  this  meeting,  the  mission  had  been  favored 
Friendly  aid  ^itli  a  visit  froiii  tlic  Hou.  Jamcs  Williams, 
states^A^!*^    United  States  Ambassador  at  Constantino- 


ple, whose  friendly  and  most  useful  agency 
was  duly  acknowledged  by  the  mission.  His  reply 
to  them  may  be  found  in  the  "  Missionary  Herald."  ^ 

1  See  Missionary  Herald,  1860,  p.  163. 


SYRIA.  345 

The  translation  of  the  New  Testament  was  now 
completed   and   published  under   the  care  Arabic  New 

Testament 

of  Dr.  Van  Dyck.  The  pocket  edition  was  published. 
admitted  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  books,  in 
its  typographical  execution,  in  the  Arabic  language. 
It  had  this  advantage,  that  it  could  be  carried  and 
read  without  attracting  notice ;  which  was  some- 
thing in  a  land  where  Bible  readers  met  with  so 
much  determined  opposition. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

STRIA. 

1860-1863. 

The  year  1860  was  noted  for  a  civil  war  in  Syria, 
AnotherciTU  ^"^  ^^^'  savage  massacres  on  Lebanon,  at 
warmsyna.  jjag|[^giya^  Damascus,  and  elsewhere,  which 
awakened  the  indignation  of  the  Christian  world. 
The  Druzes  were  prominent  in  these  massacres,  and 
so  suffered  greatly  in  character ;  yet  the  Turks  were 
believed  to  have  been  the  instigators.  The  war  com- 
menced in  June ;  but  the  government  for  months 
had  foreborne  to  check  private  assassinations  and 
angry  collisions,  until  the  condition  became  unbear- 
able. 

All  the  Greek  and  Papal  Christians  united  against 
the  Druzes,  with  the  declared  purpose  of  not  leaving 
one  of  them  on  Lebanon,  but  they  had  miscalculated 
their  power.  The  Protestants  decided  to  take  the 
side  of  neither  party.  It  was  believed  at  Beirut,  that 
the  main  object  of  the  foreign  Jesuits  and  native 
Catholic  clergy  was  to  exterminate  the  Protestants, 
who  had  their  homes  chiefly  among  the  Druzes. 
The  Druzes  were  aroused  to  desperation,  and  thirty 


SYRIA.  347 

or  forty  Maronite  and  Greek  villag'es  were  burned 
early  in  June.  The  inhabitants  who  escaped  mas- 
sacre fled  to  Beirut.  Not  one  of  these  fugitives  was 
a  Protestant. 

The  missionaries  at  Abeih,  Deir  el-Komr,  and  Suk 
el-Ghurb  were  not  molested,  and  Messrs.  ^j^^  „jjggjojj. 
Calhoun  and  Bird  and  their  families  re-  ^™^^^®-- 
maiued  at  their  several  stations.  It  was  thought 
best  for  those  at  the  Suk  to  descend  to  Beirut.  Dis- 
turbance having  arisen  at  Sidou,  an  English  war 
steamer  was  sent  thither  to  look  after  the  foreigners. 
The  steamer  brought  Mrs.  Eddy  and  her  children  to 
Beirut,  but  Mr.  Eddy  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ford  de- 
cided to  remai«  at  Sidon. 

In  the  country  and  gardens  near  that  city,  hun- 
dreds of  unarmed  men  and  defenseless  ^^gg^^g 
women  and  children,  many  of  whom  had  '^^^'^^"^°°- 
fled  thither  for  their  lives,  were  afterwards  savagely 
butchered  by  Moslems  and  Druzes.  The  mission- 
aries then  asked  for  a  guard  from  the  city  governor, 
which  he  refused  until  the  American  Consul  in  Beirut 
demanded  it. 

Mr.  Bird,  at  Deir  el-Komr,  supposing  that  all  was 
quiet  around  the  city,  left  home  to  look  Mr.  Bird  at 

^  •'  Deir  el- 

after  the  little  company  of  Protestants  in  Komr. 
Aiu  Zehalty.     In  his  absence,  the  Druzes  attacked 
Deir    el-Komr   on   every  side,  and  when  Mr.  Bird 
returned  towards  evening,  he  saw  the  town  in  flames, 
but  could  not  enter.     One  of  the  more  than  one 


348      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

hundred  houses  burned,  was  a  school-house  belong- 
ing to  the  mission.  The  Druze  Begs  declared  it  was 
a  mistake,  and  promised  to  rebuild  it.  The  Chris- 
tians had  fought  until  their  ammunition  was  ex- 
hausted, and  then  surrendered.  Mr.  Bird  found  his 
family  unharmed,  though  the  fighting  and  burning 
had  been  very  near  them.  The  Pasha  coming  up 
from  Beirut  made  such  arrangements  that  Mr.  Bird 
and  family  decided  to  remain. 

The  Druzes  were  now  masters  of  Mount  Leb- 
Destraction  ^"^u  south  of  the  Damascus  road,  and 
ofzahieh.  iiiQYQ  ^as  uo  powcr  left  in  that  district  to 
oppose  them,  save  in  the  town  of  Zahleh.  It  was 
from  this  town  that  a  company  of  horsemen  went  to 
Hasbeiya,  sixteen  years  before,  to  compel  the  Prot- 
estants there  to  recant ;  and  from  this  same  town, 
not  many  months  before,  Mr.  Benton  and  his  family 
had  been  expelled  with  great  violence  by  a  mob.  Its 
time  had  now  come.  Mr.  Lyons  passing  that  way 
in  October,  with  relief  for  the  survivors  of  the  mas- 
sacre, thus  speaks  of  Zahleh  :  "  It  presents  one  of 
the  saddest  spectacles  in  all  the  wide  field  of  desola- 
tion. Only  a  few  months  before,  I  had  seen  this 
then  flourishing  town  in  all  its  beauty  and  pride. 
Now,  nothing  remained  but  a  vast  collection  of  roof- 
less houses,  with  blackened,  shattered  walls,  and 
shapeless  heaps  of  stones  and  rubbish.  Shops,  mag- 
azines, costly  dwellings,  and  elegant  churches,  all 
had  shared  in  the  common  ruin." 


SYRIA.  349 

The  Protestants  in  Hasbeiya  began  to  be  troubled, 
early  in  the  year,  by  premonitions  of  a  M^s,^„eat 
coming  storm.  Mr.  Eddy  was  there  in  ^-^^^^'y^- 
May,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Eddy  and  Miss  Temple, 
who  devoted  themselves  to  labor  for  the  spiritual 
good  of  the  women  in  that  community.  Hardly  had 
they  returned  to  Sidon,  when  Hasbeiya  was  sur- 
rounded by  hostile  Druzes.  They  were  driven  off  at 
first,  but  on  the  3d  of  June  the  commander  of  the 
Turkish  soldiers  told  the  Christians  to  retire  within 
the  palace,  and  he  would  protect  them.  On  the  11th 
the  Druzes  surrounded  the  palace,  and  the  Turkish 
commander  opened  the  gates,  and  allowed  the  Druzes 
to  cut  them  in  pieces.  Some  saved  their  lives  by 
crawling  under  the  dead  bodies,  and  others  by  escap- 
ing over  the  walls.  The  Protestant  church  was  par- 
tially destroyed,  but  not  burned  ;  its  walls  and  roof 
remaining  uninjured.  At  Rasheiya  the  Druzes  told 
the  Christians  to  give  up  their  guns,  and  they  would 
be  safe.  In  the  night,  they  set  fire  to  the  houses, 
and  killed  nearly  all  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  men. 
More  than  one  thousand  persons  were  murdered  in 
Hasbeiya  and  the  surrounding  region.  Of  these 
only  nine  were  Protestants. 

At  Damascus,  on  the  9th  of  July,  the  wild  Mos- 
lems, from  one  of  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  Massacre  at 
with  Koords,  Druzes,  and  Arabs,  burst  upon  ^'''°'*^«"«- 
the  Christian  quarter,  plundering,  butchering,  and 
burning ;    not  opposed,  but  aided,  by  the  Turkish 


350     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

soldiers,  who  could  have  suppressed  the  iusurreetiou 
at  any  time.  The  slaughter  coutiuued  several  days, 
and  the  killed  were  estimated  at  five  thousand.  The 
whole  Christian  quarter  of  the  city  was  plundered 
of  its  great  wealth,  and  the  houses  and  churches 
were  laid  in  ruins. 

Those  who  escaped  these  massacres  fled  towards 
Relief  for       Bcirut  and  Sidon,  destitute  of  everything. 

PufFering 

thousands.  Appeals  were  at  once  made  to  the  Chris- 
tians of  England  and  America,  and  the  mission- 
aries, acting  for  the  "Anglo-American  Relief  Com- 
mittee," were  the  chief  almoners.  The  expenditure 
in  August  for  food,  clothing,  bedding,  shelter,  hos- 
pital, and  soup,  was  at  the  rate  of  about  sixty  thou- 
sand piasters  a  week,  or  two  thousand  four  hundred 
dollars,  and  yet  it  seemed  to  make  little  impression 
on  the  mighty  mass  of  misery.  Dr.  Thomson  had 
the  especial  care  of  the  clothing,  bedding,  shelter, 
and  soup-kitchen,  Dr.  Van  Dyck  of  the  hospital  and 
the  sick  in  general,  Mr.  Jessup  of  the  distribution 
of  bread  to  about  six  thousand  persons  daily,  and 
Butrus  Bistany  and  Michael  Aramon,  two  of  the 
native  brethren,  had  the  daily  distribution  among 
about  two  thousand  five  hundred  poor.  The  funds 
up  to  this  time  had  come  chiefly  from  the  people  of 
England,  and  English  merchants  at  Beirut  gave 
much  time  to  managing  the  large  financial  business 
connected  with  so  vast  a  charity.  Dr.  Thomson  de- 
clares that  the  male  children  were  generally  mur- 


SYRIA.  351 

dered,  and  that  the  killed  were  largely  mere  boys ; 
and  who,  he  asks,  were  to  support  the  thousands  of 
widows,  with  their  fatherless  daughters  ?  The 
country  had  no  factories,  and  scarcely  any  kind  of 
business  by  which  such  widows  could  gain  a  support. 
The  silk,  grape,  and  wheat  harvests  had  been  de- 
stroyed, the  olive  was  likely  to  perish  from  neglect, 
there  were  no  animals  for  the  plough,  no  imple- 
ments for  husbandry,  nor  was  life  safe  in  the  fields. 
He  adds :  "  There  was  never,  perhaps,  a  darker  hour 
for  missions  in  Syria ;  yet  we  are  becoming  ac- 
quainted Avith  the  people  more  rapidly  than  ever, 
and  should  we  be  permitted  to  visit  them  months 
hence,  we  shall  have  a  most  friendly  welcome." 

Rasheiya  and  Deir  Mimas  were  burned.  Cana 
and  Alma,  being  far  from  the  Druze  district,  were 
not  invaded.  Tripoli  was  undisturbed.  The  de- 
stroyers in  the  neighborhood  of  Baalbec  were  not 
Druzes,  but  Moslems  and  Metawales.  It  is  a  re- 
markable fact  that,  excepting  perhaps  in  Remarkable 

.     .  «•         1    J.  •         escape  of  mis- 

Damascus,  no  miury  was  onered  to  a  mis-  sionaries and 

'  J       ./  native  Prot- 

sionary;  and  Protestants,  when  recognized  estants. 
as  such,  were  generally  safe.     The  arrival  of  ships 
of  war  and   a  detachment  of  the  French  Foreign m- 
army  at  Beirut,  with  apprehensions  of  an  *^''p°'"'°''- 
alliance  of  Christian   powers  for  the  protection  of 
the  Christian  population,  had,  at  first,  a  restrain- 
ing, and  finally,  a  controlling  influence,  on  the  Turk- 
ish government.     The  Prime  Minister  was  sent  to 


352     MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Damascus,  and  inflicted  terrible  justice  ou  one  or 
two  hundred  of  the  guilty  there. 

The  direct  effects  of  the  war  upon  the  missionary 
Effects  of  the  ^ork  werc  doubtless  injurious.  Immorality 
^'''''  increased,  the  baser  passions  were  aroused, 

and  the  -hearts  of  many  were  hardened  through  suf- 
fering. But  priestly  and  feudal  power,  the  two 
greatest  obstacles  to  the  Gospel,  were  weakened,  and 
new  civil  rights  were  secured  to  the  Protestants. 
The  respect  for  Protestant  Christianity  was  increased, 
and  prejudices  were  dissipated  by  witnessing  its 
beneficent  fruits  ;  while  multitudes  were  brought 
within  the  reach  of  the  Gospel,  who,  but  for  these 
troubles,  would  never  have  heard  its  messages. 

The  connection  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benton  with  the 
Board  and  the  mission  terminated  in  June,  1861, 
though  they  remained  in  Syria  some  time  longer. 

The  Arabic  New  Testament  having  been  completed 
Scripture  ^"^^  published,  the  mission  resolved  to  pro- 
transiations.  ^^^^^  ^^  g^^jj  ^g  posslblc,  with  thc  transla- 
tion and  publication  of  the  Old  Testament,  under 
the  direction  of  Dr.  Van  Dyck.  The  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society  requested  permission  to  adopt 
Cooperation  this  vcrsion,  instead  of  the  one  formerly 
and  English    issucd  bv  them.     The  result  of  a  friendly 

Bible  Socie-  .       ,  ,  ,  a  • 

ties.  negotiation   was,  that  the  American   and 

the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Societies  agreed  to 
publish  the  version  conjointly,  from  electrotype 
plates  furnished  by  the  former.     The  price  of  the 


SYRIA.  353 

reference  edition  was  fixed  at  ten  piasters,  and  of 
the  pocket  edition  at  five,  or  about  forty  and  twenty- 
cents,  which  placed  them  within  reach  of  nearly  all 
who  could  read. 

The   importance   of   this  work   cannot  easily  be 
overestimated.    Imperfect  translations,  and  importance 

ofthever- 

type  which  seemed  to  caricature  their  aon. 
alphabet,  had  done  much  to  prejudice  Arabic  scholars 
against  the  Christian  Scriptures.  By  the  labors  of 
the  mission,  these  objections  were  now  removed. 
The  educated  Arab  finds  a  book  printed  in  charac- 
ters modeled  after  the  most  approved  specimens  of 
Arab  caligraphy.  He  soon  perceives  the  style  to  be 
that  of  a  man  who  is  master  of  this  wonderful  lan- 
guage in  all  its  grammatical  and  idiomatic  niceties 
and  rich  resources.  As  a  literary  work  it  secures 
his  respect,  and  thus  invites  a  candid  perusal.  If 
he  reads  it,  he  finds  the  truths  of  Christianity  clearly 
and  correctly  stated.  Its  beneficial  influence  will 
yet  be  felt,  it  is  hoped,  not  only  by  the  Christian 
sects  of  Mount  Lebanon  and  Syria,  but  by  the  many 
millions  who  speak  that  language  in  other  parts  of 
the  world.  This  work  alone,  worth  many  times  what 
the  mission  had  cost,  could  not  have  been  accom- 
plished, except  by  Christian  scholars  residing  perma- 
nently among  Arabs,  and  for  substantially  mission- 
ary purposes. 

The  sale  of  the  Scriptures,  notwithstanding  the 
poverty  of  the  people,  was  unprecedented.    In  1859, 


354    MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

it  amounted  to  four  hundred  and  forty-eight  copies  ; 
Sale  of  the     "^  I860,  to  four  thousaud  two  hundred  and 
Scriptures,      niuety-thrce,  —  a  nearly  ten  fold  increase. 
Dr.  Van  Dyck  was  preparing-  a  voweled  edition  of 
A  voweled      the  New  Testament,  suitable  for  Moham- 

New  Testa- 
ment, medans,  written  in  the  style  of  the  Koran, 

which   required    much   care   and   labor.     This  was 
completed  in  1863. 

The  field  manifestly  brightened  in  the  two  or  three 
The  field  years  after  the  war.  There  was  an  inter- 
bnghtening.  gg^j^^g  devclopmeut  of  the  missionary  spirit. 
Not  less  than  six  diiferent  missionary  societies  were 
formed,  embracing  nearly  all  the  Protestants  of  the 
various  towns  and  villages,  and  a  commendable  de- 
gree of  liberality  was  shown  by  the  natives  in  col- 
lecting and  contributing.  A  hundred  dollars  thus 
raised  will  not  appear  a  small  amount  to  any  one, 
who  knows  the  extreme  poverty  of  most  of  the  con- 
gregations. There  had  been  a  great  influx  of  popu- 
lation at  Beirut,  and  preaching  services,  during  some 
months,  were  held  daily.  The  Sabbath-school  num- 
bered two  hundred,  and  the  children  sang  the  same 
songs  in  Arabic,  which  American  children  love  to 
sing  in  their  own  language.  The  mountain  stations 
reported  unusually  large  and  attentive  audiences. 
Ain  Zehalty  was  wholly  under  Protestant  influences. 
Its  civil  ruler  was  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
church,  and  its  church  edifice,  purged  of  its  altar 
and  pictures,  was  no  longer  used  for  the  idolatrous 


.SYRIA.  365 

Greek  service.  The  Gospel  was  preached  in  nine 
places  in  connection  with  the  Sidon  station,  the 
congregations  had  doubled  their  number,  and  schools 
of  both  sexes  were  demanded.  There  were  cases  of 
unusual  interest  among  the  young  men.  Hasbeiya 
and  Rasheiya  were  not  yet  safe  for  the  return  of 
their  people,  but  their  Protestants  retained  an  ardor 
in  the  cause  which  was  very  encouraging.  Ibl  and 
Deir  Mimas  were  still  centres  of  evangelical  light, 
and  the  people  of  Boaida,  numbering  one  hundred, 
were  all  professed  Protestants,  and  placed  themselves 
under  Biblical  instruction.  Mr.  Ford  and  his  family 
spent  the  summer  in  the  district  of  which  Deir  Mimas 
is  the  centre,  and  more  than  thirty  women  were 
taught  to  read  by  Mrs.  Ford.  The  field  was  open 
for  schools,  for  preaching,  and  for  influencing  indi- 
viduals, families,  and  communities.  The  only  draw- 
back was  the  want  of  laborers. 

Brief  extracts  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  H.  H.  Jessup, 
written  in  March,  1863,  portray  the  work  at  that 
time. 

"  Delegation  after  delegation,  of  men  from  various 
villages  and  different  sects,  call  upon  and  write  to 
us,  entreating  us  not  to  neglect  them.  They  ask  for 
preachers,  and  we  have  none  to  send.  They  ask  for 
schools,  and  we  have  not  the  means  to  support  them. 
We  are  in  great  straits,  and  lay  the  case  before  our 
Christian  brethren  at  home,  throwing  the  responsi- 
bility upon  those  to  whom  God  has  given  the  means. 


356     MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

and  es2)ecial]y  upon  the  young  men  in  a  course  of 
preparation  for  the  ministry." 

"  The  people  of  the  village  of  Ain  Kuuyeh,  near 
the  Lake  of  Merom,  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Jor- 
dan, have  with  one  consent  turned  away  their  priest, 
shut  up  their  place  of  worship,  and  are  entreating 
one  of  our  Protestant  helpers  to  come  and  teach 
them  the  way  of  life." 

"  A  few  Sabbaths  since,  while  we  were  assembled 
for  divine  service  in  the  Beirut  chapel,  a  crowd  of 
thirty  men  came  in,  and  with  diflficulty  found  seats, 
so  full  was  the  chapel  already.  Upon  inquiry,  after 
service,  we  learned  that  they  are  from  the  village  of 
Rasheiya-el-Wady,  north  of  Mount  Hermon,  and  are 
a  part  of  the  residue  of  the  people  who  escaped  the 
massacre  in  that  place  in  1860.  They  ask  for  a 
teacher,  or  native  preacher,  but  we  can  give  them 
only  the  most  indefinite  promises." 

"  Twenty  men  from  the  village  of  Koryet-el-Hos- 
son,  near  the  famous  castle  Kolat-el-Hosson,  half- 
way between  Tripoli  and  Hums,  write  that  they  too 
have  seen  the  light,  and  wish  some  one  to  come  and 
instruct  them  ;  but  what  can  we  do  for  them,  when 
the  twenty-five  men  of  Sheikh  Mohammed,  who  peti- 
tioned us  some  time  since,  have  been  sent  away 
empty  ?  " 

"  This  morning  a  white-bearded  priest  called,  with 
his  aged  brother,  and  several  younger  men.  They 
declared  their  wish  to  become  Protestants,  and  besr 


SYRIA.  357 

most  earnestly  for  a  school.  They  belong  to  a  large 
and  powerful  family,  and  the  Lord  may  use  them  as 
the  entering  wedge,  to  open  that  strong  Greek  dis- 
trict to  the  gospel.  What  shall  we  answer  them  ?  " 
Daoud  Pasha,  the  new  papal  Governor,  secured  iu 
1862  by  foreign  intervention  for  Mount  Leb-    . 

•'a  A  good  gov- 

anou,  was  at  first  supposed  to  be  a  bigot,  ®™°'"" 
and  a  tool  of  the  Jesuits,  but  he  soon  proved  him- 
self an  impartial  and  excellent  ruler.  He  had  several 
Protestants  in  office  about  him,  iu  very  important 
situations.  Instead  of  objecting  to  missionaries 
establishing  schools,  he  encouraged  all  efforts  to 
educate  the  people. 

Among  other  evidences  of  au  advance  it  may  be 
stated,  that  in  Hums  two  hundred  and  fifty  Further  eyi- 

dence  of 

persons  avowed  themselves  Protestants,  progress. 
and  sought  earnestly  for  a  Christian  instructor.  It 
was  immediately  decided  to  send  them  Suleeba  Jer- 
wan,  who  had  lived  two  years  iu  that  place  with  Mr. 
Wilson,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  the  people ; 
and  the  native  missionary  society  at  Beirut  decided 
to  support  him  as  their  first  missionary.  This  was 
done  with  a  cordiality  and  earnestness  that  was  most 
promising.  Hasbeiya  women  and  g'irls  pledged 
weekly  contributions  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel, 
some  promised  two  cents  a  week,  and  some  half  a 
cent ;  but  even  these  small  sums  were  large  for. 
them,  and  they  gave  with  a  hearty  gladness  that 
was  most  cheering.    Two  hundred  and  thirty  Maron- 


358      MISjSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

ites  in  Bteddiu  had  for  months  adhered  steadfastly 
to  the  Protestant  faith,  and  a  flourishing  school  ex- 
isted among-  them.  In  Cana  the  Protestant  com-, 
m unity  had  heen  aug-mented  threefold,  and  the  same 
was  true  of  Deir  Mimas.  There  had  never  been  a 
time  when  so  many  were  inquiring  on  the  subject  of 
religion  ;  and  a  greater  number  avowed  themselves 
Protestants  within  twelve  months,  than  in  the  whole 
previous  forty  years.  A  new  church  edifice  was  built 
in  Merj-Aiyun,  costing  about  five  hundred  dollars, 
without  drawing  from  the  resources  of  the  Board, 
aud  a  new  church  had  been  formed  in  that  district 
of  seventeen  members,  most  of  them  from  the  Has- 
beiya  church.  In  the  Sidon  field  six  persons  had 
been  admitted  to  the  church,  and  there  were  twenty- 
two  hopeful  candidates.  In  Beirut  and  Abeih,  there 
were  seventeen  such  candidates,  besides  nine  admit- 
ted to  the  communion.  Bible  classes  were  largely 
increased,  and  an  unusual  number  of  adults  were 
learning  to  read,  that  they  might  study  the  Scrip- 
tures. Thirty  of  the  best  Sabbath-school  songs  pub- 
lished in  America,  had  been  translated  into  Arabic, 
and  published  at  the  expense  of  a  sewing  society  at 
Beirut,  and  thus  gospel  truths,  in  an  attractive  form, 
were  reaching  the  children  all  over  the  land. 

The  president  of  the  missionary  society  at  Beirut 
stated  in  May,  1862,  that  in  the  two  previous 
months,  they  had  not  only  sent  a  missionary  to 
Hums,  but  had  sent  also  a  colporter  to  Jezzin,  main- 


SYRIA.  359 

tained   religious    meetings    every    Sabbath   at   Kefr 
Shima,  aud  employed  a  city  missionary  iu  Beirut. 

But  with  these  signs  of  prosperity,  there  seems 
to  have  been  a  need  of  chastening.     The 

Persecution. 

clergy  of  the  Greek  church  at  Hums,  ex- 
cited, as  was  supposed,  by  foreign  influence,  set  their 
people  so  against  the  Protestants,  that  it  was  feared 
few  would  be  able  to  stand.  The  native  brethren 
were  stoned  and  beaten  iu  the  streets,  aud  abused 
by  all  classes.  Quite  a  large  number  returned,  nom- 
inally, to  the  Greek  church;  but  many  of  these 
commenced  a  Bible  class  iu  the  Greek  church  itself, 
thus  bringing  the  truth  to  many,  who  would  not 
otherwise  have  heard  it.  About  fifteen  men  stood 
firm,  and  met  nightly  with  Suleeba,  for  reading  the 
Scriptures,  prayer,  and  conference.  The  priests  had 
expected  the  utter  overthrow  of  Protestantism,  and 
were  enraged  at  the  firmness  of  these  brethren,  and 
forbade  all  dealings  with  them.  Letters  to  Suleeba 
from  the  missionaries  were  taken  from  the  mail, 
read,  and  destroyed,  and  the  Protestant  places  of 
meeting  were  assailed  with  stones.  In  the  midst  of 
these  trials,  Suleeba  wrote  expressing  his  gratitude 
to  God  for  sustaining  grace.  Some  alleviation  was 
experienced  through  the  efforts  of  Colonel  Fraser, 
Her  Britannic  Majesty's  Commissioner,  so  that  the 
Protestant  community  became  regularly  organized, 
with  a  representative  iu  the  Mejlis,  and  a  tax  roll 
distinct  from  other  sects. 


360     MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

The  Protestants  iu  Ain  Zehalty  were  also  called  to 
suflFer.  Au  order  having'  come  from  Constantinople, 
requiring-  the  restoration  of  all  church  edifices  to 
their  original  sects,  Daoud  Pasha  issued  an  order  for 
giving  up  the  edifice  at  Ain  Zehalty.  He  must  have 
acted  under  a  misapprehension,  since  the  building 
had  never  been  the  property  of  the  bishop,  but  was 
built  and  still  owned  by  the  family  of  Khalil,  the 
Protestant  preacher.  The  Catholics  were  a  very 
small  minority  in  the  village,  yet  the  edifice  appears 
not  to  have  been  recovered.  Another  convenient 
house  of  worship  was  soon  after  provided  by  Prot- 
estant friends. 

Mr.  H.  H.  Jessup  wrote  respecting  Hums :  — 
A  significant  "  Qu'tc  rcccutly,  ouc  of  tlic  more  enlight- 
'^^''*'  ened  among  the  Greeks  was  taken  ill,  and 

sent  for  Suleeba,  the  native  helper.  He  went,  and 
found  quite  a  company  of  relatives  and  friends.  The 
sick  man  asked  him  to  read  a  portion  of  Scripture. 
The  passage  selected  contained  the  ten  command- 
ments, and  while  he  was  reading  the  second,  the 
wife  of  the  sick  man  exclaimed,  — '  Is  that  the 
Word  of  God  ?  If  it  is,  read  it  again.'  He  did  so, 
when  she  arose  and  tore  down  a  wooden  picture  of 
a  saint  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  declaring  that  hence- 
forth there  should  be  no  idol  worship  in  that  house ; 
and  then,  taking  a  knife,  she  scraped  the  paint  from 
the  picture,  and  took  it  for  use  in  the  kitchen. 
This  was  done  with  the  approbation  of  all  present. 


SYBTA.  361 

The  case  is  the  more  remarkahle,  as  it  was  the  first 
instance  in  Syria,  in  which  a  woman  had  taken  so 
decided  a  stand  in  advance  of  the  rest  of  the  family." 
The  manifest  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
highest  encouragement  in  the  missionary  Eyidence  of 

Divine 

work.  "  One  of  the  members  of  the  Beirut  agency. 
church,"  Mr.  Jessup  writes,  "  has  passed  through 
an  interesting  religious  experience  this  summer.  He 
was  for  a  time  troubled  with  blasphemous  thoughts, 
till  he  gave  himself  up  as  lost.  His  language  was 
not  unlike  that  of  Bunyan  in  his  "  Grace  Abound- 
ing; "  and  only  after  protracted  struggles  in  prayer, 
the  study  of  God's  word,  and  finally  resolving  to  go 
forward  and  do  his  duty  in  both  light  and  darkness, 
did  he  find  relief.  The  case  was  interesting  as  indi- 
cating the  presence  of  God's  Spirit,  in  leading  him 
through  a  most  severe  struggle  into  ultimate  peace 
in  believing.  Several  young  Protestants  of  Has- 
beiya,  resident  in  Beirut,  are  now  passing  through 
very  deep  conviction  of  sin.  I  have  rarely  seen  per- 
sons so  completely  broken  down  by  a  sense  of  their 
lost  condition.  On  Monday  I  spent  several  hours 
with  two  young  people,  who  were  passing  through 
deep  waters.  They  burst  into  tears,  exclaiming, 
"  We  are  lost,  we  are  lost ! "  The  Spirit  of  God  was 
striving  with  them.  Never  have  I  felt  more  deeply 
the  need  of  Divine  aid,  than  when  trying  to  lead 
these  heavy-laden  ones  to  Christ.  Yet  the  mission- 
ary can  have  no  more  delightful  labor  than  this." 


362     MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

The  missiou  was  streugtheued,  iu  1863,  by  the 
Changes  in  ai'i'ival  of  Rev.  Mcssi's.  Samuel  Jessup, 
Remission,    pj^-jj^   ^^y^,^^  ^^^i  Gcorgc  Edward   Post, 

M.  D.,  and  their  wives.  Miss  Temple  retired  from 
the  mission  in  consequence  of  the  obstructions  to 
the  hig-her  education  of  girls  growing  out  of  the 
massacres,  but  with  the  esteem  of  all  her  associates. 
Mr.  Lyons,  broken  down  by  overwork,  was  also 
under  the  necessity  of  withdrawing  from  the  field. 
The  girls'  boarding-school  had  been  transferred  from 
Suk  el  Ghurb  to  Sidou,  where  it  was  under  the  care 
of  Miss  Mason. 

The  population  of  Beirut  was  now  not  less  than 
Growth  of  seventy  thousand.  A  bank,  a  carriage  road 
Beirflt.  ^^  Damascus,  steamers  plying  to  almost 
every  maritime  country  in  Europe,  telegraphs  iu 
several  directions,  numerous  schools  and  hospitals, 
and  three  printing  presses,  made  it  the  commercial 
and  intellectual  capital  of  Syria. 

The  tendency  was  to  intellectual  rather  than  spir- 
Demand  for  ^^^^^  progrcss,  aud  tlicrc  was  a  growing  de- 
education.  niaud  for  educatiou.  The  Jesuits  were  striv- 
ing to  reap  the  benefit  of  this,  by  opening  colleges 
and  seminaries  in  various  parts  of  the  country  ;  nor 
could  the  fact  be  overlooked,  that  zealous  Protestant 
educators,  from  different  parts  of  Europe,  were  be- 
coming so  numerous  at  Beirut  as  to  embarrass  the 
mission  in  its  natural  development.  The  exigency  at 
length  constrained  the  mission  to  consider  whether 


SYRIA.  363 

advantage  should  not  be  taken  of  the  offer  of  Chris- 
tian friends  at  home  to  found  a  Protestant  Proposal  for 

a  Protestant 

College  at  Beirut.  couege. 

This  was  well,  as  will  appear  in  the  sequel.     But 

it  is  impossible  not  to  see,  that  the  prog-  what  hin- 
dered a  more 
ress  of  the  mission,  in  the  years  immedi-  rapid  prog- 

'  ''  ress  in  the 

ately  following  1863,  —  in  the  increase  of  ""J^sion. 
converts,  and  the  multiplication  of  churches,  with 
native  preachers  and  pastors,  —  was  not  such  as  the 
facts  already  stated  gave  reason  to  expect.  This  the 
brethren  on  the  ground  foresaw,  and  their  anxious 
appeals  for  help  abound  on  the  pages  of  the  "  Mis- 
sionary Herald,"  aud  were  enforced  by  appeals  from 
the  Prudential  Committee.  The  "  Annual  Report " 
for  1863  thus  states  the  deficiency  of  laborers  at 
that  time :  — 

"  The  field  north  of  Beirut,  a  hundred  miles  long 
and  fifty  wide,  has  no  missionary,  although  hun- 
dreds in  Hums,  aud  the  large  district  of  Akkar,  are 
looking  to  the  mission  for  instruction.  A  score  of 
villages,  in  each  one  of  which  a  faithful  preacher 
would  find  an  audience,  do  not  receive  a  visit  once  a 
year  from  a  gospel  minister.  Mount  Lebanon,  with 
its  four  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  scattered 
through  its  thousand  villages,  into  nearly  every  one 
of  which  more  or  less  light  has  penetrated,  and 
from  which  cries  for  help  constantly  come,  has  but 
two  missionaries;  and  one  of  them  is  confined,  for 
the  most  part,  to  the  Abeih  Seminary.  The  south- 
ern district,  comprising  one  half  of  the  Syria  mis- 


364   MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

sion  field,  with  its  teu  regular  preaching  places, 
crippled  by  the  disability  of  its  oldest  native  helper 
and  by  the  death  of  another,  has  but  two  missiour 
aries,  one  of  whom  is  just  commencing  to  learn 
Arabic.  Within  the  last  eight  years,  thu'teeu  mis- 
sionary laborers,  male  and  female,  have  entered  the 
Syria  field,  while  twenty-five  have  left  it.  During 
this  period,  the  work  has  increased  tenfold.  Many 
who  have  fallen  asleep  took  part  in  sowing,  where 
now  the  harvest  is  so  great  that  the  few  who  remain 
cannot  gather  it ;  and  unless  the  Lord  of  the  har- 
vest send  more  laborers,  much  precious  fruit  will  be 
lost." 

It  is  painfully  evident,  that  the  degree  of  mission- 
ary spirit  in  the  churches  at  home  then  fell  short 
of  the  providential  calls  for  evangelical  labor  in  this 
field.  Yet  it  is  by  no  means  certain  what  would 
have  been  the  effect  of  a  very  large,  sudden  increase 
in  the  working  forces.  Without  the  restraining 
grace  of  God,  it  might  have  been  the  occasion  of  a 
fierce  and  malignant  outbreak  of  opposition. 

The  deficiency  of  laborers  sufficiently  accounts  for 
the  slow  progress,  and  even  the  decline  there  was 
in  not  a  few  of  the  places  named ;  as  in  Tripoli,  and 
Hums,  not  to  speak  of  promising  villages  in  the 
western  and  southern  sections.  Churches,  towns, 
cities  in  the  most  favored  portions  of  New  England 
would  suffer  a  decline  in  religion  and  morals,  if  left, 
as  these  places  necessarily  were,  with  no  more  of 
the  means  of  grace. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

STRIA. 

1863-1869. 

Mes.  Henry  H.  Jessup  died  at  Alexandria,  after 
a  prolonged  sickness,  on  the  2d  of  July, 

Personal. 

1864,  whither  her  husband  had  taken  her 
on  his  way  to  the  United  States.  Mr.  George  C. 
Hurter,  after  laboring  twenty-three  years  as  printer 
and  secular  agent  with  great  usefulness,  found  him- 
self constrained  by  domestic  circumstances  to  with- 
draw from  the  mission.  Mr.  Bird  was  prostrated 
with  a  dangerous  sickness  for  several  months  at 
Abeih,  but  a  merciful  Providence  spared  his  valuable 
life. 

A  boarding  high-school  was  estabHshed  at  Beirut 
by  Mr.  Butrus  Bistany,  with  nearly  a  hun-  Boardin 
dred  and  fifty  pupils.  The  charge  for  tui-  '"=''°°''° 
tion  and  board  was  large  for  that  country,  yet  the 
school  was  self-supporting.  The  pupils  were  made 
up  of  Greeks,  Maronites,  Greek-Catholics,  Druzes, 
Moslems,  and  Protestants.  A  girls'  boarding-school 
in  the  same  city,  under  native  instruction  and  gov- 
ernment, promised  also  to  be  soon  self-sustaining 


366      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

The  common  schools  of  the  mission  were  twenty- 
five,  with  five  hundred  and  forty-eight  pupils.  The 
Seminary  at  Abeili  had  thirty-three  pupils,  a  larger 
number  than  ever  before.  Five  were  in  the  theolog- 
ical department,  and  several  others  gave  good  evi- 
dence of  piety.  The  graduates  of  this  institution 
were  now  scattered  over  a  wide  region.  The  board- 
ing-school for  girls  at  Sidon,  under  Miss  Mason,  had 
ten  pupils,  and  was  making  a  favorable  impression. 
It  became  evident,  however,  that  pupils  could  not  be 
obtained  there  sufficient  to  warrant  so  large  an  out- 
lay, taking  also  into  view  the  unhealthiness  of  that 
climate,  and  Miss  Mason  returned  home,  though 
with  great  reluctance.  The  girls'  boarding-school 
at  Beirut,  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Aramon  and  Miss 
Rufka  Gregory,  was  prosperous. 

The  printing,  in  1862,  amounted  to  eight  thou- 
sand  volumes   and   nine   thousand  tracts, 

Printing. 

making  an  aggregate  of  6,869,000  pages, 
more  than  two  thirds  of  which  were  Scripture. 
The  number  of  pages  from  the  beginning,  was  about 
50,000,000.  Somewhat  more  than  six  thousand  vol- 
umes of  Scripture  were  distributed  during  the  year. 
The  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  Arabic  was 
Completion  couiplctcd  ou  the  22d  of  August,  1864, 
translatron"'  aud  thc  printing  of  the  whole  Arabic  Bible 

of  the  Scrip-  r  o  ^ 

tures.  in  March  of  the  next  year.     This  event,  of 

the  highest  importance  to  a  large  portion  of  the 
human   race,  was   appropriately   celebrated  by  the 


SYRIA.  367 

missionaries  and  their  native  brethren.  In  the 
upper  room  where  Dr.  Smith  had  labored  on  the 
transhition  eight  years,  and  Dr.  Van  Dyck  eight 
years  more,  the  assembled  missionaries  gave  thanks 
to  God  for  the  completion  of  this  arduous  work. 
"  Just  then,"  writes  one  of  them,  "  the  sound  of 
many  voices  arose  from  below,  and  on  throwing  open 
the  door,  we  heard  a  large  company  of  native  young 
men,  laborers  at  the  press  and  members  of  the  Prot- 
estant community,  singing  to  the  tune  of  '  Hebron  ' 
a  new  song", '  even  praise  to  our  God,'  composed  for 
the  occasion  by  one  of  their  number  in  the  Arabic 
lang'uage.  Surely  not  for  many  centuries  have  the 
angels  in  heaven  heard  a  sweeter  sound  arising  from 
Syria,  than  the  voices  of  this  baud  of  pious  young- 
men,  singing  a  hymn  composed  by  one  of  them- 
selves, ascribing  glory  and  praise  to  God,  that  now, 
for  the  first  time,  the  Word  of  God  is  given  to  their 
nation  and  tongue  in  its  purity."  The  hymn  was 
composed  by  Mr.  Ibrahim  Sarkis  and  translated  by 
Dr.  H.  H.  Jessup,  as  follows  :  — 

"  Hail  day,  thrice  blessed  of  our  God ! 
Rejoice,  let  all  men  bear  a  part. 
Complete  at  length  thy  printed  word, 
Lord,  print  its  tnith  on  every  heart. 

"  To  Him  who  gave  his  precious  word. 
Arise  and  with  glad  praises  sing  ; 
Exalt  and  magnify  our  Lord, 

Our  Maker  and  our  Glorious  King. 


368      MISSIONS  TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

"  Doubting  and  darkness  flee  away 
Before  thy  truth's  light-giving  sun, 
Thy  powerful  word,  if  heeded,  may 
Give  guidance  to  each  erring  one. 

"  Lord,  spare  thy  servant,  through  whose  toil 
Thou  giv'st  us  this,  of  books  the  best ; 
Bless  all  who  shai-ed  the  arduous  task, 
From  Eastern  land,  or  distant  West. 

"  Amen  !     Araeu  !  lift  up  the  voice  ; 

Praise  God  whose  mercy  's  e'er  the  same ; 
His  goodness  all  our  song  employs. 

Thanksgivings  then  to  His  Great  Name." 

Ten  different  editions  of  parts  of  the  Scriptures 
Muitipuca-     were  printed  as  the  version  was  gradually 

tion  of  1  1   • 

copies.  prepared  for  publication,  and  over  thirty 

thousand  copies  had  been  put  into  circulation,  nearly 
all  by  sale.  The  demand  for  the  volume,  in  one 
form  or  another,  after  the  version  was  completed, 
was  greater  than  the  mission  presses  could  meet, 
though  worked  by  steam.  The  American  Bible 
Society  wisely  undertook  to  electrotype  several  edi- 
tions of  different  sizes,  and  Dr.  Van  Dyck  came  to 
New  York  to  superintend  the  work.  But  after  the 
royal  octavo  edition  had  been  stereotyped,  it  was 
thought  best  for  him  to  return  to  Syria,  with  the 
understanding  that  the  Bible  Society  would  enable 
him  to  electrotype  the  version  in  other  forms,  at 
Beirut. 

The  press  was  now  unable  to  meet  the  demand 


SYRIA.  369 

which  had  arisen  for  the  books,  as  well  as  for  the 
Bible.  The  issues  were  called  for  on  the  southern 
and  eastern  coasts  of  Arabia,  and  in  India,  and  a  box 
of  them  was  sent  to  the  interior  of  Africa. 

The  administration  of  Daoud  Pasha,  the  Christian 
Governor  of  Mount  Lebanon,  continued  to  improved 

government 

be  marked  by  commendable  justice,  vigor,  of  Lebanon. 
and  liberality,  and  there  was  a  sense  of  security  to 
which  the  land  had  long  been  a  stranger.  Industry 
and  thrift  began  to  appear,  and  all  the  interests  of 
society  received  an  impulse.  Much,  however,  de- 
pended on  the  foreign  Protestant  Powers  exerting 
a  proper  influence  on  the  councils  of  the  Turkish 
government  in  favor  of  religious  liberty. 

The  only  ordination  of  a  native  preacher  by  the 
mission,  up  to  this  time,  was  that  of  the  Rev.  John 
Wortabet,  in  1853,  afterwards  pastor  of  ^he  native 
the  Hasbeiya  church.  On  the  10th  of  May,  '^'^''^• 
1864,  Mr.  Suleeba  Jerwan  received  ordination  at 
Abeih.  He  had  gone  successfully  through  a  four 
years'  course  of  study  in  the  Seminary,  and  had  for 
some  time  proved  himself  faithful  and  efficient  as  a 
teacher  and  preacher. 

The  Druzes  had  a  prosperous  high  school  at 
Abeih,  under  the  special  patronage  of  His  j^^^^^  ^^^ 
Excellency  Daoud  Pasha,  supported  by  the  ^''^°°^- 
income  from  their  religious  establishments.  Both 
of  the  instructors  were  Protestants  and  graduates 
of  the  Abeih  Seminary.     Though  not   a   religious 


370      MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

institution,  such  a  school  must  have  had  an  im- 
portant bearing  on  the  future  of  that  singular  peo- 
ple. In  1866,  the  Principal  left,  and  was  succeieded 
by  another  Protestant,  also  a  graduate  of  the  mis- 
sion Seminary.  Referring  to  the  Druzes,  the  breth- 
ren of  the  Abeih  station  close  their  report  for  the 
year  1864  with  the  following  remarkable  declara- 
tion :  — 

"  While  it  is  true  that  the  government  of  the 
Value  of       mountain   was  never  better,  and    we   are 

Druze  pro- 
tection,        free  to  open  schools  wherever  parents  dare 

send  their  children,  it  is  no  less  true  that  the  Prot- 
estants are  a  small  and  hated  minority.  Provi- 
dence has  made  the  Druzes  a  wall  of  defense,  for 
the  present.  To  them,  under  God,  it  is  due  that  we 
pursue  our  labors  on  this  mountain." 

Tannus  El  Haddad,  the  oldest  and  most  esteemed 
Death  of       native  helper  in  the  mission,  died  in  1864, 

TannQs  El  n        m    • 

Haddad.  after  more  than  thirty  years  of  eflBcient 
labor.  "  A  guileless,  spiritual  man,  whose  lovely 
spirit  disarmed  the  enmity  even  of  those  who  hated 
his  religion.  The  church  of  Christ  in  Syria  owes 
much  to  the  holy  life  and  faithful  teaching  of  this 
man  of  God.  The  missionaries  owe  much.  He 
long  upheld  their  hands  by  the  strength  of  his 
afiection  and  sympathy." 

The  installation  of  Suleeba  Jerwan  as  pastor  of 
Native  pastor  ^^^^  church  iu  Hums,  occurrcd  in  1865. 
at  Hums.       rpj^g  Protcstauts  there  had   long  resisted 


SYRIA.  371 

the  settlement  of  a  native  pastor,  hoping  to  obtain 
the  residence  of  an  American  missionary,  but  their 
welcome  to  the  native  pastor  was  now  cordial.  His 
wife  was  an  excellent  young*  woman,  formerly  a  pu- 
pil in  Mr.  Bird's  family,  and  his  assistant  in  the  in- 
struction of  her  sex.  Both  pastor  and  people  had  a 
varied  experience  in  after  years,  not  unlike  what  is 
often  seen  in  Christian  lands. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  the  oppression  of  the  Turk- 
ish government  became  so  unbearable  at  Remarkable 

„  .  awakening  at 

feafeeta,  in  the  district  of  Tripoli,  that  a  safeeta. 
large  number  of  the  people  resolved  to  seek  relief 
in  Protestantism.  A  deputation  of  sixty  heads  of 
families,  representing  nearly  five  hundred  souls,  was 
accordingly  sent  to  the  missionaries  at  Tripoli. 
Their  motives  were  wholly  secular,  and  they  were 
not  at  all  aware  of  the  spiritual  object  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. This  had  to  be  explained,  and  they  were 
told,  that  it  was  beyond  the  power  of  the  mission  to 
aflFord  civil  protection.  The  government  allowed 
them  to  register  their  names  as  Protestants,  and 
they  listened  with  marked  attention  to  the  spiritual 
instructions  of  Dr.  Post;  Mr.  Samuel  Jessup,  the 
other  missionary,  being  then  at  Hums.  On  leaving, 
they  asked  for  books,  and  to  be  more  thoroughly  in- 
ducted into  the  new  way. 

The  region  of  Safeeta  was  new  to  Protestant  mis- 
sions, but  was  populous  and  fertile,  and  bordering 
on  the  Nusaireyeh.     Among  the  names  handed  to 


872      MISSIONS   TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Dr.  Post,  as  interested  in  this  movement,  were  one 
hundred  and  fifty  of  this  strange  people,  and  there 
were  a  number  of  them  in  the  deputation  ;  but  all 
of  this  class  soon  fell  away.  Dr.  Post  visited  Safeeta 
in  May,  and  arraug-ements  were  effected  with  the 
government,  which  opened  the  door  for  Christian 
teaching.  He  had  audiences  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  every  night,  listening  with  reverent  attention 
to  words  they  had  never  heard  before.  "  I  taught 
them  hymns,"  he  writes,  "and  heard  them  repeat 
passages  of  Scripture  and  answer  religious  ques- 
tions. On  Sunday  they  commenced  coming  at  five, 
A.  M.,  and  kept  pouring  in  upon  me  all  day  long,  till 
ten  P.M., — just  allowing  me  time  to  eat,  and  not 
even  leaving  the  room  while  I  did  that.  Our  large 
meetings  in  the  evenings  were  by  the  light  of  the 
moon,  as  an  open  light  would  have  been  extin- 
guished, and  we  had  no  lantern.  A  most  interest- 
ing feature  was  the  number  of  women  in  the  audi- 
ences, an  exceptional  thing  in  all  new  religious 
movements  in  Syria."  Two  horsemen  came  from 
distant  villages,  to  inquire  about  the  new  faith  and 
sect.  The  motive  was  doubtless  secular,  but  there 
is  always  hope  where  the  Gospel  gains  a  hearing. 

The  fires  of  persecution  soon  began  to  burn  with 
Reiaarkabie  ^"^T*  ^hc  Grccli  blshop  bribed  the  Turk- 
persecution.  j^j^  govemmcnt,  and  the  people  were  driven 
from  their  homes  ;  everything  was  broken  that  could 
be  broken,  everything  eaten  that  could  be  eaten, 


SYRIA.  373 

and  women  were  left  to  the  brutal  lusts  of  the  Turk- 
ish soldiers.  It  was  surprising-  with  what  tenacity 
the  people  held  out  against  all  this.  A  few  had  be- 
come earnest  inquirers ;  but  without  a  more  general 
acquaintance  with  the  truth  they  could  not  be  ex- 
pected long  to  stand  such  an  onset.  Some  relief 
came  after  a  few  weeks,  through  the  death  by  chol- 
era of  the  Greek  bishop. 

Failing  to  find  relief  from  English  intervention, 
the  newly  made  Protestants  went  en  masse  to  the 
governor  of  Tripoli ;  and  failing  to  meet  him,  they 
then  crossed  the  mountains  to  the  Governor-general 
at  Damascus,  taking  with  them  their  wives,  that  the 
sight  of  their  distress  might  move  the  heart  of  the 
Moslem  ruler.  At  last  they  secured  a  hearing  from 
him,  and  he  promptly  removed  the  oppressive  tax- 
gatherer  at  Safeeta,  and  gave  the  poor  people  some 
money  in  token  of  his  sympathy.  But  returning  to 
their  homes,  they  were  still  oppressed  by  their  local 
governor.  Mr.  Samuel  Jessup  writes  in  October, 
that  poverty  and  want  had  come  upon  them  beyond 
anything  seen  elsewhere  in  Syria,  excepting  at  Has- 
beiya.  Some  had  no  means  of  buying  their  daily 
bread.  They  were  promised  a  restoration  of  all  that 
had  been  taken  from  them,  if  they  would  return  to 
their  old  faith,  but  they  stood  firm.  They  desired 
a  school  for  their  girls,  and  a  married  teacher  was 
sent  them  for  a  boys'  school,  so  as  to  accommodate 
a  female  teacher  in  his  family. 


374     MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Some  months  later,  the  cattle  of  a  Protestant 
strayed,  and  while  driving  thera  home  he  was  met  by 
one  of  their  persecutors,  of  the  house  of  Beshoor, 
who,  with  some  savage  Nusairiyeh,  threw  him  on 
the  ground,  stamped  upon  him,  and  drew  a  sword, 
threatening  to  kill  him  if  he  did  not  desist  from  his 
unclean  religion.  They  dared  not  do  more  through 
fear  of  witnesses.  Again,  the  plowmen  of  this  same 
house  plowed  up  the  wheat  belonging  to  the  Prot- 
estants, ruining  their  hopes  of  a  coming  harvest, 
and  leaving  them  without  means  to  pay  their  taxes  ; 
which  they  must  pay  or  go  to  prison.  They  also 
gathered  all  the  olives  of  the  Protestants,  reducing 
them  to  the  greatest  straits  for  the  means  of  living. 
The  Moslem  governor  received  large  bribes  to  ex- 
terminate the  sect,  and  would  give  them  no  hearing, 
but  quartered  his  soldiers  on  them,  who  ate  up  all 
their  scanty  food,  and  distrained  even  their  miserable 
cooking  utensils,  that  they  might  sell  thera  for  bar- 
ley for  their  horses.  Many  lived  from  day  to  day  on 
what  they  could  beg,  or  borrow.  Still,  after  a  year 
of  such  trials,  they  remained  firm ;  which  is  the 
more  wonderful,  as  only  a  few  of  them  gave  evidence 
of  piety,  and  the  time  had  not  come  for  organizing 
them  into  a  church.  The  school  was  doubtless  help- 
ful, being  a  decided  success.  Even  the  shepherds 
took  tracts  and  primers,  and  studied  them  while 
tending  their  flocks. 

In  January,  1867,  the  whole  Protestant  community 


I 


SYRIA  375 

of  Safeeta  were  arrested,  men,  women,  and  children, 
and  imprisoned  in  a  small  room,  and  a  fire  of  cut 
straw  was  made  on  the  floor  to  torture  them  with 
smoke.  This  wanton  cruelty  was  based  on  a  false 
demand  made  on  them  for  money.  Their  sufferings 
were  so  great  that  they  were  finally  released.  In  the 
evening,  while  assembled  for  worship,  with  their 
native  preacher,  government  horsemen  broke  open 
and  plundered  their  houses,  and  in  the  night  drove 
them  all,  old  and  young,  mothers  and  children,  boys 
and  girls,  into  the  wilderness. 

The  terrible  experience  of  this  people  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1869,  somewhat  more  than  two  years  later, 
is  too  suggestive  and  interesting  to  be  passed  in 
silence.  I  give  the  facts  as  related  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Jessup. 

"  For  four  years,  a  large  number  have  been  Prot- 
estants, and  the  oppressors  have  added  persecution 
to  oppression.  Many  fell  away  at  first,  but  since 
then  we  have  seen  no  special  signs  of  apostasy  until 
lately.  Their  enemies  recently  made  a  desperate 
efi'ort  to  crush  out  Protestantism  from  that  region. 
They  took  the  leading  men,  one  by  one,  and  led  them 
through  fire  and  perils  of  all  kinds ;  promising,  at 
every  step,  to  give  immediate  relief,  if  they  would 
only  return  to  the  Greek  Church.  They  fulfilled  their 
promises  to  some  who  yielded,  and  then  increased 
the  pressure  on  the  others.  At  length,  seizing  the 
opportunity  when  our  teacher  was  absent,  they  made 


376      MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

another  ^raiul  onset.  On  Sunday  morning",  the 
Greek  bishop  and  the  abbots  of  the  neighboring  con- 
vents, with  priests  and  people  from  all  the  region 
around,  together  with  a  great  number  of  horsemen 
and  footmen,  made  a  grand  parade,  and  came  down 
like  locusts  upon  the  Protestants.  Their  former  op- 
pressor is  dead,  but  his  son,  Tamir  Beshoor,  is  mak- 
ing his  little  finger  thicker  than  his  father's  loins. 
He  headed  a  grand  parade,  and  brought  with  him  a 
supply  of  new  garments,  which  he  had  purchased  as 
bribes  for  the  occasion.  With  the  bishop  and  others, 
he  entered  the  house  of  every  Protestant,  and  by 
bribes  and  promises,  followed  by  fiendish  threats, 
carried  off  many  captives.  Some  few  had  previously 
sold  themselves,  and  agreed  to  take  their  stand  on 
this  occasion,  and  then  they  headed  the  crowd,  and 
declared  that  every  Protestant  had  decided  to  return, 
and  that  Protestantism  was  dead.  Where  they  found 
a  house  locked,  they  forced  it  open,  and  sprinkled 
holy  water  in  it. 

"  But  though  their  success  was  far  too  great,  it 
was  not  complete.  They  succeeded  in  taking  with 
them,  that  morning,  twenty-one  males.  Eleven  of 
them  have  not  been  to  the  Greek  church  since  that 
time,  but  continue  to  meet  with  our  brethren  for 
prayer ;  and  though  it  is  now  an  important  Greek 
fast,  they  do  not  observe  it.  The  other  ten  either 
dare  not  or  care  not  to  come  back  to  us,  though  all 
came  to  see  me. 


SYEIA.  377 

"Before  finishing  their  work  that  Sunday  morning, 
they  sent  men  to  our  school-room,  broke  it  open, 
sprinkled  it  with  holy  water,  and  stole  our  bell." 

The  firmness  of  some  of  the  church-members  is 
thus    described:   "After   exhausting  their  Firmness  of 

the  perse- 
catalogue  of  promises  and  threats  on  one,   cuted  people. 

he  said  to  them,  —  '  Take  my  property,  my  house, 
my  clothes,  my  family,  even  ray  body,  and  do  with 
them  what  you  will,  but  my  soul  you  cannot  have, 
and  nothing  will  induce  me  to  leave  Christ.'  An- 
other said,  when  they  came  to  his  house,  —  '  Come 
in,  and  let  us  read  iu  the  New  Testament  together, 
and  perhaps  you  will  see  that  we  are  right.'  One 
girl,  who  had  been  two  years  in  the  Sidon  school, 
saw  her  parents  and  relatives  all  fall  into  the  pro- 
cession ;  but  when  special  effort  was  made  to  induce 
her  to  yield,  she  said,  —  *  Though  you  should  cut 
my  body  in  pieces,  I  will  never  go  with  you.' 

"  I  reached  Safeeta  a  few  days  after,  and  found 
that  those  who  had  stood  firm  had  been  obliged  to 
flee  for  safety,  and  did  not  dare  return  until  I  went 
there.  The  wrath  of  their  persecutors  seems  to  have 
reached  its  height,  and  the  poor  people  know  not 
what  to  do.  Appeal  to  the  government  seems  use- 
less, for  it  is  from  the  government  that  their  chief 
oppressor  gets  his  power  to  persecute.  All  who  went 
back  came  to  call  on  me,  and  most  of  them  attended 
the  services.  They  said,  in  palliation  of  their  course, 
*  We  are  flesh  and  blood,  and  have  families  to  sup- 


378    MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

port.  We  have  waited  for  deliverance  for  years,  and 
now  Tauiir  (the  chief  oppressor)  says,  Come  back 
and  I  will  restore  to  you  all ;  remain  as  you  are,  and 
I  will  strip  you  of  the  little  you  have  left,  and  drive 
you  out  of  the  country.  And  so  we  went  back,  but 
our  hearts  are  with  you,  and  we  will  come  here  too, 
though  they  compelled  our  bodies  to  go  with  them.' 
One  woman  showed  a  striped  gown,  threw  it  on  the 
ground,  and  trampling  on  it  said,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  '  With  that  they  bought  my  husband.'  Some 
of  the  women,  with  tears  and  entreaties,  tried  to 
keep  their  husbands  and  friends  from  going,  telling 
them  that  death  was  better."  ^ 

Twenty  men  were  standing  firm  at  Safeeta  in  Feb- 
Thepersecu-  ^'^^^1  ^^  ^^^^  followiug  ycar,  though  there 
tion closed,     j^^^  ^^^^  j-^^j^  abatement  of  persecution. 

In  April  Dr.  Jessup  wrote,  that  it  had  just  termi- 
nated, and  the  brethren  at  the  Tripoli  station  had 
good  hopes  that  there  would  be  peace  in  that  long 
persecuted  community.  This  was  owing,  in  great 
measure,  to  the  interference  of  the  American  and 
English  Consuls-general,  and  their  influence  with 
the  Governor-general  of  Syria. 

The  people  of  Hums  becoming  dissatisfied  with 
their  pastor,  Suleeba,  his  connection  was 

Decline  and  '■ 

the°Jhurch  dissolved,  three  years  after  his  settlement. 
at  Hums.  rpj^^  church  remained  in  a  divided  con- 
dition for  a  year  or  more,  without  any  celebration 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1869,  pp.  407-409. 


SYRIA.  379 

of  the  Lord's  Supper,  lu  the  summer  of  1869,  Mr. 
Samuel  Jessup  visited  the  city,  and  finding  the 
Protestants  in  a  better  state  of  feeling,  invited  the 
communicants  to  assemble  at  the  Lord's  table.  All 
came  and  seemed  to  enjoy  it  as  a  season  of  rest  and 
refreshment,  after  a  long  and  weary  wandering. 
They  were  ready  to  take  a  native  pastor  who  suited 
them,  and  pay  the  larger  part  of  his  salary.  They 
needed  one  well  acquainted  with  the  historical  de- 
fenses of  the  Gospel,  because  of  the  inroads  of  Euro- 
pean Jesuits  and  French  infidel  literature.  Suleeba 
found  demands  for  his  faithful  labors  in  other  places. 
"  The  news,"  says  Dr.  Jessup,  "  from  '  scattered  and 
peeled  '  Safeeta  and  from  distracted  Hums,  is  alike 
cheering,  and  indicative  of  progress  in  the  right 
direction." 

The  Tripoli  station  sent  forth  two  of  the  Safeeta 
church-members  as  missionaries    to   visit  „ ,. 

Native  mis- 

the  villages  to  the  north  and  east,  sending  "°''^" 
two  together,  as  it  would  not  be  safe  for  one  to  go 
alone.  The  native  missionary  society  at  Beirut  em- 
ployed a  zealous  colporter,  whose  tours  took  a  wide 
range,  from  Acre  on  the  south  to  Hamath  and  even 
to  Aleppo  on  the  north,  and  his  monthly  reports 
showed  that,  throug-hout  the  country,  there  was  not 
only  urgent  need  of  such  labor,  but  also  an  increas- 
ing number  prepared  to  profit  by  the  visits  of  the 
gospel  messenger.  During  the  latter  part  of  the 
year,  another  person  was  employed  in  similar  work 


380     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

uear  Beirut.     He  also  testified  to  a  great  increase 

of  desire  among  the  people  for  religious  instruction. 

Daoud  Pasha,  after  inaugurating   important   re- 

Administra-    fomis  aud  improvements  on  Lebanon,  was 

Hon  of  Daoud 

Pasha.  promoted  to  a  seat  in  the  cabinet  at  Con- 
stantinople. He  had  started  a  newspaper,  "  The 
Lebanon,"  established  telegraphic  lines,  commenced 
a  carriage  road,  encouraged  education,  and  made  his 
pashalic  the  safest  in  the  empire  for  travelling.  His 
successor  was  Franco  Pasha,  a  Latin  Catholic.  The 
Beirut  Arabic  official  journal,  in  speaking  of  his 
arrival,  says,  that  "  although  attached  to  his  own 
religion,  he  is  free  from  bigotry,  and  will  guarantee 
liberty  of  conscience  to  all." 

The  mission  was  strengthened  in  1867  by  the 
Accessions  to  ^I'^'ival  of  Samucl  S.  Mitchell  aud  Isaac  N. 
the  mission.  Lo^j.y^  and  their  wives;  and  in  1869,  of 
James  S.  Dennis,  and  Misses  Eliza  D.  Everett,  and 
Nellie  A.  Carruth.  Messrs.  Berry  and  Mitchell  were 
constrained,  by  the  failure  of  health  after  a  short 
service,  to  leave  the  mission.  Miss  Carruth,  also, 
though  deeply  interested  in  the  work,  and  after  val- 
uable service  in  the  girls'  school,  felt  constrained 
soon  to  return  to  the  United  States. 

Among  the  books  printed  in  this  time,  were  Ed- 
Books  pub-  wards'  "  History  of  Redemption ;  "  Bicker- 
'"'^'^'-  steth's  "Scripture  Hand-book,"    with  ad- 

ditions by  Mr.  Calhoun  ;  a  large  Psalm  and  Hymn 
Book ;   Curwen's  "  New  System  of   Musical  Nota- 


SYRIA.  381 

tion  ;  "  ^  a  Children's  Hymn  Book;  Bistany's  Arabic 
Dictionary,  and  his  Elements  of  Grammar ;  and  an 
Arabic  Almanac,  probably  the  first  ever  printed  in 
Arabic,  although  "  Al-Manakh  "  (the  climate)  is  an 
Arabic  word.  The  press  was  now  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  Henry  Thomson,  a  son  of  Dr.   ,      .    , 

•^  '  Accession  to 

Thomson,  who  relieved  the  Beirut  station  f„^^rpar?' 
of  a  heavy  burden  of  care.     The  necessary 
preparations  were  completed  in  1868  for  electrotyp- 
ing  the  Arabic  Scriptures  in  Beirut. 

1  By  this,  musical  notes  written  in  a  syllabic  fonn  can  be  given, 
like  the  Arabic,  from  right  to  left.  The  staff,  notes,  and  signatures 
are  dispensed  with,  and  single  letters  are  arranged  in  succession,  with 
separations  by  dots  and  marks.  As  a  result,  the  ordinary  Arabic 
types  can  be  used  to  print  the  most  intricate  music. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

STBIA. 

1869-1870. 

Though  the  Seminary  at  Abeih  had  a  few  stu- 
But  few  stu-    deuts  preparing  for  the  ministrj^,  under  Mr. 

dents  in  the- 
ology. Calhoun,  it  could  not  properly  be  called  a 

Theological  Seminary.     Only  at   Hasbeiya,   Hums, 

and  Ain  Zehalty  had   native  pastors  been  found  for 

the   churches.     There   were   five  churches  without 

pastors.     The  eight  churches  had  two  hundred  and 

forty-five  members.    The  thirty-one  common  schools 

numbered  a  thousand  male  and  one  hundred  and 

seventy  female  pupils.     Eight  of  the  teachers  were 

church-members,  and  four  of  these  were  females. 

The  demand  for  education  was  beyond  the  ability  of 

the  mission  to  supply. 

At  the  recommendation  of  the  Prudential  Com- 

institutionof  mittcc,  SL  Thcological   Seminary  was  com- 

geminary.       mcuccd  at  Abcih  in  May,  1869 ;  and  Dr. 

Jessup   from   Beirut,    and    Mr.    Eddy   from    Sidon, 

were  associated  with  Mr.  Calhoun  in  its  instruction. 

Seven  students  composed  the  first  class,  and,  with 

but  one  exception,  evinced  a  good  Christian  spirit. 


SYRrA.  383 

studied  hard,  and  seemed  anxious  to  live  an  active 
and  useful  Christian  life.  The  five  winter  months 
of  their  vacation  were  spent  in  evangelical  labors. 

As  far  back  as  1865,  there  was  a  prosperous  female 
boarding-school  at  Beirut,  under  the  care  Female 

boarding- 

of  Mr.  Aramou  and  Miss  Rufka  Gregory,  school. 
natives  of  Syria.  In  the  following  year,  this  school 
had  thirty  boarders  and  twenty  day  scholars.  It  was 
the  first  Protestant  school  in  Syria  that  demanded 
pay  for  the  education  of  girls,  but  its  receipts  for 
tuition  and  board  equaled  about  half  the  expenses. 
"  Among  the  causes,"  say  the  brethren  of  the  Beirut 
station,  "  which  operated  to  prevent  the  raising  of 
the  rates  of  board  and  tuition  to  a  self-supporting 
basis,  was  the  existence  of  competing  schools  fur- 
nished with  European  teachers,  rendering  it  difficult 
for  the  seminary  to  induce  parents  to  pay  the  full 
expense.  This  was  a  grave  difficulty,  and  one  which, 
in  one  form  or  another,  has  met  every  attempt  to 
establish  the  principle  of  self-support  in  Syria,  in 
all  departments  of  our  work  ;  but  it  only  makes  it 
the  more  important  that  this  native  institute,  with 
native  teachers  and  adapted  to  native  tastes  and 
habits,  should  be  steadily  sustained,  lest  the  impulse 
already  given  in  the  direction  of  self-support,  be 
lost."  A  building  was  completed  for  the  school  in 
1867,  at  the  cost  of  about  $9,000,  chiefly  the  result 
of  contributions  in  the  United  States,  but  without 
any  organic  connection  with  the  mission.     Of  its 


384     MISSIONS   TO    2'HE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

seventy-six  pupils  fifty-seven  were  boarders,  and  the 
income  was  $3,220  in  gold,  which  was  $1,000  short 
of  its  expenses.  There  was  still  the  impediment  of 
unwise  competition.  The  pu])ils  were  from  Moslem, 
Greek,  and  Greek-Catholic,  as  well  as  Protestant 
families;  though  it  was  well  known  that  the  institu- 
tion was  an  evangelizing  agency,  and  that  all  were 
expected  to  attend  Protestant  worship  on  the  Sab- 
bath, and  were  daily  taught  in  the  Bible. 

In  the  absence  of  Miss  Gregory  on  account  of 
failing  health,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aramon  carried  on  the 
school,  with  the  assistance  of  ladies  from  the  mis- 
sion. The  school  increased  in  numbers  and  the  ex- 
amination in  1868  was  attended  by  a  great  throng 
of  the  people,  from  all  classes  and  all  sects.  It  was 
a  noticeable  fact  that  Mohammedan  parents  in 
Beirut  were  beginning  to  insist  earnestly  upon  the 
education  of  their  girls.  The  Beirut  Arabic  official 
journal,  the  "  Kadethat  el-Akhba^"  published  a 
list  of  schools  in  the  city,  —  possibly  somewhat 
exaggerated,  —  in  which  it  was  said,  that  there  were 
two  thousand  girls  and  three  thousand  boys  and 
young  men  in  the  various  Protestant,  Greek,  Maro- 
nite.  Catholic,  and  Mohammedan  schools. 

The  school  passed  under  the  care  of  Misses  Ever- 
ett and  Carruth  on  their  arrival  in  Syria,  and  sub- 
stantial progress  was  made  towards  self-support,  but 
less  than  would  have  been  but  for  the  French,  Eng- 
lish, and   German   schools,   which  tended    to  draw 


SYRIA.  385 

away  the  girls,  and  the  families  they  represented, 
from  the  influence  of  the  missionaries. 

There  was,  also,  a  female  boarding-school  at  Sidou, 
which  had  been  growing  in  numbers  and  influence. 
The  scholars  were  all  Protestants,  selected  with  care 
from  the  various  schools  of  the  country.  "  They 
have  come,"  wrote  Mr.  Eddy,  "  from  all  parts  of  the 
land,  —  from  Hums  and  Safeeta  on  the  north,  from 
Mount  Lebanon  on  the  east,  and  the  district  of  Merj 
Aiyun  on  the  south ;  and  besides  the  good  they  gain 
for  themselves  while  here,  they  will  carry  light  and 
civilization,  and  we  trust  religious  influence  with 
them  to  their  widely  scattered  homes."  The  school 
was  in  the  immediate  charge  of  Mrs.  Watson  and 
her  daughter,  English  ladies,  and  more  recently  Miss 
Jacombs,  for  five  years  a  teacher  on  Mount  Lebanon,- 
and  supported  by  a  society  of  ladies  in  England.  It 
was  fully  in  sympathy,  however,  with  the  mission, 
and  had  the  sympathy,  prayers,  and  aid  of  English 
Christians.     The  number  of  pupils  was  twenty. 

THE  SYRIAN  PROTESTANT  COLLEGE. 

The  desire  for  education  had  visibly  increased,  and 
was  due,  in  part,  to  commercial  intercourse  ng^a^^  ^r 
with  western  nations,  and  the  interference  ^''°^^^^^- 
of  foreign  powers  in  the  political  affairs  of  the 
country ;  but  far  more  to  the  schools,  books,  preach- 
ing, and  personal  influence  of  missionaries.  Schools 
had  been  multiplying  for  elementary  and  high  school 


386     MISSIONS   TO   THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

instruction,  but  there  was  no  provision  for  a  liberal 
education.  The  Jesuits,  indeed,  had  institutions, 
but  their  teaching*  was  partial,  fitted  to  repress 
inquiry,  and  exclusively  to  foster  their  own  ecclesi- 
astical and  sectarian  ends. 

The  demand  for  a  Protestant  college  was  discussed 


Tsu  Syrian  Protestant  College. 


at  a  meeting  of  the  mission,  in  the  spring  of  1861, 
and  again  in  the  following  August,  when  an  outline 
of  the  proposed  scheme  was  presented.^ 

1  In  this  statement  concerning  the  College,  I  make  such  use  as  my 
limits  will  allow,  of  an  able  document,  drawn  up  by  Prof.  D.  Stuart 
Dodge,  and  kindly  sent  me,  at  my  request,  by  the  President,  Dr. 
Daniel  Bliss.     It  bears  date  May,  1872. 


SYRIA.  387 

"The  objects  deemed  essential,  were  to  enable 
natives  to  obtain,  in  their  own  country,  in 

.  Its  objects. 

their  own  language,  and  at  a  moderate 
cost,  a  thorough  literary,  scientific,  and  professional 
education  ;  to  found  an  institution,  which  should  be 
conducted  on  principles  strictly  evangelical,  but  not 
sectarian ;  with  doors  open  to  youth  of  every  Oriental 
sect  and  nationality,  who  would  conform  to  its  reg- 
ulations, but  so  ordered  that  students,  while  elevated 
intellectually  and  spiritually,  should  not  materially 
change  their  native  customs.  The  hope  was  enter- 
tained, that  much  of  the  instruction  might  at  once 
be  intrusted  to  pious  and  competent  natives,  and 
that  ultimately  the  teaching  could  be  left  in  the 
hands  of  those,  who  had  been  raised  up  by  the  Col- 
lege itself." 

The  curriculum  embraced  a  period  of  four  years  ; 
and  the  studies  were  the  Arabic  Language  ^^^^  ^^  j^^ 
and  Literature,  Mathematics,  the  Natural  "*"'*'''"■ 
Sciences,  the  Modern  Languages,  Turkish  Law  and 
Jurisprudence,  and  Medicine,  —  the  last  to  have 
special  prominence,  since  the  East  was  filled  with 
ignorant  native  quacks  and  medical  jugglers.  A 
leading  place  would  also  be  given  to  Moral  Science, 
and  Biblical  Literature,  with  the  Scriptures  as  a  con- 
stant text-book.  Theology,  as  a  system,  would  be 
left  to  the  care  of  the  several  missions. 

It  was  thought  that  the  American  Board  could 
not  undertake  so  large  a  literary  work  in  any  one 


388   MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

mission,  aud  that  the  College  should  be  separate 
Why  an  in-  froiii  and  independent  of  the  Board  and 
institution,  its  missions,  as  such ;  but  that,  being 
on  so  broad  a  basis,  other  evangelical  bodies  among 
the  Arabic-speaking  race  might  be  invited  to  share 
in  its  advantages  and  control.  Denominational  dis- 
tinctions set  aside,  those  engaged  in  similar  mis- 
sionary operations  could  unite  in  an  enterprise  de- 
signed to  advance  their  common  interests. 

The  College  was  to  be  at  Beirut,  the  chief  sea- 
its  location    port  of  Syria,  and  a  place  of  enterprise  and 

and  govern-  .  . 

ment.  growiug  importaucc,  occupying  a  central 

position  in  respect  to  all  the  Arabic  races.  The  local 
Board  of  Directors  was  to  be  composed  of  American 
and  British  missionaries  and  residents  of  Syria  and 
Egypt,  with  several  consular  officials  and  leading 
merchants  ;  of  which  a  quorum  should  always  reside 
in  Beirut  and  its  immediate  vicinity. 

The  Kev.  Daniel  Bliss,  six  years  a  missionary  of 
the  American  Board  on  Mount  Lebanon,  was  cheer- 
fully released  by  the  Prudential  Committee  from  his 
connection  with  the  mission,  that  he  might  take  the 
Presidency  of  the  College,  and  visit  the  United  States 
and  England  to  obtain  the  needful  endowment. 

To  secure  public  confidence,  it  was  found  indis- 
pensable to  have  the  institution  incorporated  in 
America,  with  a  responsible  Board  of  Trustees.  A 
charter  was  accordingly  obtained,  in  April,  1863,  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York, 


SYRIA.  389 

aud  in  May,  1864,  additional  power  to  hold  real  and 
personal  estate  was  granted  by  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture. A  constitution  was  framed,  binding  the  insti- 
tution to  evangelical  and  unsectarian  principles ; 
formally  constituting  the  body,  appointed  by  the 
mission,  a  local  Board  of  Managers,  with  large  lib- 
erty in  administration ;  and  defining  the  relations 
between  the  Boards  in  America  and  Syria  and  those 
of  the  various  officers  to  be  connected  with  the  Col- 
lege. It  further  provided,  that  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees should  have  the  right  to  exercise  final  authority 
in  all  matters,  and  that  funds  for  endowments  should 
be  retained  in  the  United  States,  the  income  only  to 
be  transmitted  to  the  East. 

An  endowment  fund  of  $100,000  was  secured  from 
a  small  number  of  contributors,  the  Trus-  j^^  ^^^^^_ 
tees  and  their  immediate  friends  being  the  ™®'^*' 
largest  donors.^  In  addition  to  this.  Dr.  Bliss  ob- 
tained ,£3,000  in  England  ;  Lords  Shaftesbury,  Strat- 
ford de  Redcliffe,  Dufferin,  Strangford,  and  Calthorpe, 
among  the  nobility,  indorsing  the  enterprise ;  and 
the  Turkish  Missions  Aid  Society  rendered  valuable 
assistance.  The  "  Syrian  Improvement  Committee" 
gave  .£1,000,  from  funds  remaining  after  the  relief 
of  sufferers  from  the  Lebanon  massacres. 

Dr.  Bliss  returned  to  Syria  early  in  1866.     The 

i  Among  the  more  active  and  influential  of  these,  as  I  learn  from 
other  sources,  was  the  Rev.  D.  Stuart  Dodge.  In  1872,  the  endow- 
ment fund  was  reported  to  be  $130,000. 


390     MISSIONS   TO  THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

first  college   class   consisted   of  fourteen  members. 
A  preparatory  department  was  afterwards 

Its  students.  ^      ^  .-  x" 

added,  and  eighty  names  have  been  en- 
rolled in  the  two  departments.  The  students  have 
evinced,  in  most  instances,  an  aptitude  and  zeal  for 
study,  that  would  be  creditable  in  more  favored 
lands.  The  charge  for  tuition  is  twenty-five  dollars 
for  the  collegiate  year  of  nine  mouths  ;  and  fifty-five 
dollars  additional  for  those  who  board  in  the  insti- 
tution. The  sects  represented  are  the  Protestant, 
Orthodox-Greek,  Papal-Greek,  Latin,  Maronite, 
Druze,  Armenian,  and  Coptic. 

All  boarders  are  required  to  be  present  at  morn- 
The  religious  ^"^  ^^^  cvcuing  praycrs,  and  to  attend 
influences.  Pj-Qtestaut  worship  and  Bible  classes  on 
the  Sabbath  ;  and  Bible  lectures  or  Scripture  recita- 
tions are  of  daily  occurrence.  A  voluntary  prayer- 
meeting  is  maintained  by  the  students. 

Most  of  the  thirteen  who  have  graduated  from  the 
Academic  Department,  are  acceptably  employed  as 
First  grad-  tcachcrs  of  a  higher  grade  in  Syria  and 
Dating  class.  Egypt.  Two  havc  cutcrcd  the  Medical 
Department,  and  two  are  studying  Law.  The  first 
Commencement  was  in  July,  1870,  and  the  addresses 
were  in  three  languages.  The  College  has  a  Medical 
Department,  and  the  first  medical  class  was  grad- 
uated in  July,  1871. 

A  building  fund  of  about  170,000  having  been 
contributed  chiefly  by  the  donors  to  the  endowment 


I 


SYRIA.  391 

fund,  a  plot  of  nearly  twenty  acres  of  ground  was 
purchased  at  Ras-Beirut,  in  the  immediate  j,^^  (,^^^^^^ 
vicinity  of  the  city ;  facing  Lebanon,  over-  ^'^''*^- 
looking  the  Mediterranean,  healthy,  accessible,  yet 
sufficiently  retired  ;  and  the  edifice  is  in  the  process 
of  erection.  The  corner  stone  was  laid,  December  7, 
1871,  by  the  Hon.  William  E.  Dodge,  and  appropriate 
exercises,  in  English  and  Arabic,  accompanied  the 
ceremony. 

The  Medical  Hall  is  located  at  some  distance  from 
the  College  edifice.  These  buildings  may  be  seen 
from  almost  every  quarter  of  the  city,  and  from  the 
villages  on  the  western  slopes  of  Lebanon  ;  and  they 
will  be  the  first  objects  to  greet  the  eyes  of  all  who 
enter  the  harbor,  and  will  stand  as  the  exponents 
and  dispensers  of  sound  Christian  learning. 

The  connection  of  this  mission  with  the  American 
Board  continued   until   the  latter  part  of  Transferor 

the  mission 

the  year  1870,  wantmg  only  two  years  of  tothePres- 
half  a  century,  when  the  reunion  of  the  ^o^'^'^- 
Presbyterian  Church  gave  rise  to  the  question  of  a 
transfer  of  the  mission  to  the  Presbyterian  Board. 
The  events  above  described,  connected  with  the  Syr- 
ian Protestant  College,  favored  such  a  result,  and  the 
question  was  kindly,  though  reluctantly  entertained. 
On  the  20th  of  September,  1870,  the  following  paper 
was  received  at  the  Missionary  House  :  — 

"The  Syria  mission,  at  a  special  meeting  held  in 


892    MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

Abeih,  August  16,  1870,  had  laid  before  them  two 
documents,  one  from  the  Prudential  Committee  of 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  and  the  other  from  the  Committee  of 
Conference  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  with  the  American  Board,  —  touching 
the  transfer  of  the  mission  from  the  American  Board 
to  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  ;  and 
having  given  the  subject  their  serious  and  prayerful 
consideration,  they  have  adopted  the  following 
action :  — 

"  1.  That  the  mission  regard  the  subject  thus 
presented  as  one  which  has  not  originated  with 
themselves,  but  as  having  been  brought  before  them 
by  the  Providence  of  God  ;  and  as  not  to  be  decided 
at  all  by  them  on  personal  grounds  or  ecclesiastical 
preferences,  but  to  be  decided  solely  in  view  of  its 
bearings  upon  the  cause  of  Christ  in  this  land,  and 
among  the  churches  at  home. 

"  2.  That  the  mission  appreciate  the  delicacy  and 
kindness  with  which  the  Prudential  Committee  of 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions  conveyed  the  consent  of  the  Board  to  the 
withdrawal  of  its  members  from  their  service,  with 
the  view  of  forming  a  new  connection,  if  they  deem 
it  expedient,  and  the  hearty  assurance  of  their  read- 
iness to  continue  the  support  of  the  mission  should 
they  decide  to  remain  as  heretofore. 

"  3.  That  they  also  equally  appreciate  the  cordial 


SYRIA.  .         393 

invitation  extended  to  them  by  the  Committee  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  pledge  conveyed  to 
the  mission,  that  they  shall  enjoy,  in  the  new  pro- 
posed connection,  all  the  freedom  of  action,  'in  re- 
spect to  their  policy  and  ecclesiastical  relations,' 
which  they  have  hitherto  possessed. 

"  4.  That  the  mission  find  great  difl&culty  in  con- 
sidering calmly  and  impartially  a  question  involving 
their  separation  from  the  American  Board,  the  sev- 
ering of  ties  which  have  existed  until  within  two 
years  of  half  a  century,  which  have  been  interwoven 
with  the  earliest  recollections  of  childhood,  which 
have  grown  strong  by  personal  connection  and  active 
cooperation  during  years  of  service,  and  which  we 
had  anticipated  would  only  be  dissolved  by  death. 
No  language  can  express  how  much  of  pain  to  their 
hearts  the  thought  of  this  separation  involves. 
Their  relations  to  the  Secretaries,  to  the  Prudential 
Committee,  and  through  them  to  the  churches,  have 
been  most  tender  and  happy. 

"  In  these  relations  they  have  found  the  largest 
liberty  and  the  fullest  sympathy,  and  personally,  the 
mission  have  no  cause  to  desire  a  change. 

"  The  feelings  of  the  mission  on  this  point  will  be 
more  fully  expressed  by  individual  communications 
from  its  several  members,  to  the  Prudential  Com- 
mittee. 

"  5.  In  view,  however,  of  the  weighty  considera- 
tions which  have  been  set  before  the  mission  for  this 


394     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

change  of  their  connection,  considerations  whose 
reasonableness  and  justice  are  apparent  to  their 
minds,  and  in  view  of  the  expressed  opinion  of  what 
is  their  duty,  on  the  part  of  the  reunited  Presby- 
terian Church,  they  cannot  but  feel  that  the  call  is 
from  God,  and  the  step  to  be  taken  is  one  demanded 
by  the  highest  interests  of  Christ's  Church. 

"  6.  That  the  mission  express  their  conviction, 
that  no  change  is  demanded  in  the  ecclesiastical 
connections  of  any  of  its  members. 

"  In  accordance,  therefore,  with  these  views  of 
this  whole  subject,  — 

"  Eesolved,  1st ;  that  the  mission  present  to  the 
Prudential  Committee  a  request  for  a  release  from 
their  connection  with  the  American  Board,  with  a 
view  to  placing  themselves  under  the  direction  of 
the  Presbyterian  Board. 

"  And  2d,  That  the  mission  accept  the  invitation 
conveyed  in  the  letter  of  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Stearns,  D. 
D.,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Conference  of 
the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Missions,  dated  June  19, 
1870,  to  place  themselves  under  the  care  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board. 

"  Although  the  official  ties  which  have  bound  us 
to  those  with  whom  we  have  been  so  long  and  so 
happily  associated  may  thus  be  severed,  we  feel  that 
the  bonds  of  sympathy  and  of  prayer  remain  un- 
changed, and  will  continue  so  to  remain  until,  in 
the  higher  work  of  praise,  our  hearts  and  voices 
shall  be  again  and  forever  united." 


SYHIA.  395 

In  accordance  with  this  action  the  individual 
members  of  the  mission  sent  a  request  to  be  released 
from  their  connection  with  the  American  Board,  and 
they  were  released  by  vote  of  the  Prudential  Com- 
mittee. 

The  members  of  the  mission,  at  that  time,  were 
Drs.  Thomson,  Van  Dyck,  and  H.  H.  Jes-  Feeling 

awakeaed  by 

sup,  and  Messrs.  Calhoun,  Eddy,  Bird,  the  transfer. 
Samuel  Jessup,  I.  N.  Lowry,  and  James  S.  Dennis. 
The  author  would  naturally  have  great  pleasure  in 
quoting  from  their  letters  of  farewell,  but  can 
only  refer  the  reader  for  them  to  the  "  Missionary 
Herald."! 

RESULTS   OF   THE    PAST. 

The  history  of  the  mission  of  the  American  Board 
to  Palestine  and  Syria  cannot  be  closed  better  than 
by  the  retrospective  summary  made  by  the  mission 
at  the  close  of  their  relations  with  the  Board.  They 
are  speaking  of  the  results  of  past  labors. 

"  To  Protestant  influence,  in  great  part,  may  we 
ascribe  the  changed  feeling,  which  has  come  over 
the  minds  of  the  Mohammedans  towards  Christians. 
The  Christian  religion  has  become  understood  by 
them  to  be  not  wholly  the  system  of  idolatry,  which 
they  once  regarded  it,  nor  professing  Christians  as 
devoid  of  morality  as  they  once  seemed.  As  a  con- 
sequence, there  has  been  a  sensible  quenching  of 
the  flame  of  Moslem  bigotry,  and  a  greater  respect 

1  Missionary  Herald,  1870,  pp.  391-398. 


396    MISSIONS  TO  THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

for  Christians,  their  rig-hts,  their  Bible,  and  their 
religion.  The  relative  positions  of  the  crescent  and 
the  cross  are  not  what  they  were  when  the  mission- 
aries came  to  Syria.  The  Bible  has  gained  ground, 
and  the  Koran  has  lost  it,  as  a  controlling  influence 
in  the  land.  Some  Mohammedans  are  among  the 
attendants  upon  our  preaching,  and  these  would 
doubtless  be  more  numerous,  but  for  the  risk  to 
property  and  to  life,  which  inquirers  from  among 
them  incur. 

"  Not  without  results  have  the  children  of  the 
Druzes  been  taught  in  our  schools  during  all  these 
years,  and  so  many  conversations  been  held  with 
adults  of  that  sect.  The  leaven  of  the  Gospel  has 
penetrated  even  to  the  secret  inner  sanctuaries  of 
their  religion  ;  and  the  white  turbans  of  the  initiated 
Druzes  seen  in  our  Sabbath  congregations,  the  in- 
quirers who  come  to  our  houses,  and  the  baptized 
converts  from  among  them,  show  that  not  in  vain  to 
the  Druzes  has  the  light  of  the  Gospel  again  dawned 
upon  Syria. 

"But  principally  among  the  nominally  Christian 
sects  have  the  indirect  results  of  missionary  labor 
extended.  These  are  visible  in  the  changed  power 
of  the  clergy.  Once  excommunication  was  a  terror 
above  all  terrors.  Now  it  is  so  powerless  a  weapon, 
that  those  who  once  wielded  it  so  eifectively  are 
ashamed  to  challenge  ridicule  by  exposing  its  weak- 
ness. 


SYRIA.  397 

"  Protestantism,  once  regarded  by  the  mass  of  the 
people  as  the  blackest  of  heresies,  finds  everywhere 
its  defenders  and  vindicators,  even  where  it  lacks 
followers,  and  no  longer  can  the  lies  gain  currency, 
with  which  the  clergy  were  accustomed  to  frighten 
away  their  flocks  from  gospel  influence. 

"  The  religious  instruction  given  in  their  churches 
has  been  modified.  More  Bible  is  taught,  and  less 
tradition.  The  preaching  is  more  of  Christ,  and  less 
of  the  saints.  The  adoration  of  pictures  has  greatly 
lessened.  All  sects  have  been  compelled  to  intro- 
duce schools,  and  to  educate  both  boys  and  girls,  to 
educate  their  priests,  and  to  remove  the  restrictions 
from  reading  the  Bible. 

"  The  circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  and  of  relig- 
ious books,  has  been  wide-spread,  and  we  have  heard 
of  some  who  have  been  enlightened  by  these  silent 
teachers,  and  have  through  them  found  Christ  as 
their  Saviour,  and  died  in  joyful  trust  in  Him ;  though 
they  never  had  an  opportunity  to  publicly  profess 
their  faith  in  Him. 

"Among  all  sects,  Mohammedan,  Druze,  Greek, 
Maronite,  and  Catholic,  the  glaciers  of  prejudice, 
which  for  centuries  have  been  forming,  are  now 
melting  under  the  warmth  of  the  Gospel. 

"  The  gift  of  the  Bible  to  this  people  in  their  own 
tongue,  is  the  rich  golden  tribute  which  the  West 
has  returned  to  the  East,  in  acknowledgment  of  its 
obligation  to  the  land  whence  the  Bible  came. 


398     MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES 

"  Brighter  than  the  light,  which  kindles  early  and 
lingers  late  upon  the  crests  of  Lebanon  and  Her- 
mou,  crowning  them  with  glory,  is  the  light  of  the 
Gospel,  which  has  shone  into  dark  hearts,  in  hamlet 
and  city,  recalling  the  memories  of  a  past  not  in- 
glorious, and  presaging  a  fairer  splendor  in  the 
future. 

"  Not  in  vain  have  Hebard,  and  Smith,  and  Whi- 
ting, and  De  Forest,  and  Ford,  sowed  the  seed  of  the 
Word  in  tears,  even  though  they  went  home  with 
few  gathered  sheaves.  From  the  heights  of  heaven 
they  now  behold  the  springing  harvest.  Not  in  vain 
have  others  toiled  here,  whose  summons  has  not  yet 
come.  They  bless  God  for  what  their  eyes  see  and 
their  ears  hear  of  the  Lord's  working  around  them. 
Reluctantly  have  those  yielded  to  the  sad  necessity 
of  returning  home,  who,  having  just  thrust  in  the 
sickle,  found  their  strength  unequal  to  the  toil. 

"  The  churches  in  America,  which  have  aided  in 
sustaining  the  mission  by  their  offerings  and  their 
prayers,  have  seen  fewer  results,  than  have  crowned 
their  labors  in  other  fields  ;  their  faith  has  been 
sorely  tried  ;  but  they  have  been  permitted  to  hear, 
from  time  to  time,  of  souls  ransomed  from  darkness 
and  sin ;  echoes  of  the  songs  of  triumph  sung  by 
departing  saints  have  been  borne  to  their  ears,  and 
they  have  felt  that  their  labors  have  not  been  unre- 
warded. 

"  By  God's  grace  we  have  laid  anew  the  founda- 


SYRIA.  399 

tions  of  God's  living  temple,  Christ  being  the  chief 
corner-stone,  and  we  have  seen  some  courses  already 
built  upon  it.  We  have  set  up  and  maintained  the 
banner  of  the  cross  in  the  face  of  its  pretended 
friends  and  its  avowed  foes.  We  have  collected  a 
little  army  on  the  Lord's  side,  and  armed  them  with 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  We  have  prepared  an 
arsenal  of  spiritual  weapons  for  future  conflicts,  in 
the  Scriptures  and  other  religious  books  translated 
and  committed  to  the  people.  We  have  established 
outposts  of  schools  and  seminaries,  have  raised 
strongholds  of  the  truth  in  churches  planted  here 
and  there  throughout  the  land.  We  have  taken 
possession  of  the  land  in  the  name  of  King  Im- 
manuel,  and  we  aim  to  subdue  and  hold  it  wholly 
for  him."  ^ 

1  From  the  Foreign  Missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  April,  1871; 
p.  305-307. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

THE  ARMENIANS. 

1867-1869. 

The  year  1868  added  five  to  the  ordained  mission- 
New  mis-  ^^T  ^'^^^^  ^^  *^^  missions ;  namely,  Messrs. 
^ionaries.  ^jpijeus  N.  Andrus,  Carmi  C.  Thayer,  John 
Edwin  Pierce,  Royal  M.  Cole,  and  Theodore  S.  Pond. 
Messrs.  Milan  H.  Hitchcock,  Edward  Riggs,  Henry 
Marden,  and  John  Otis  Barrows,  were  added  in  1869. 
These  were  all  accompanied  by  their  wives.  Besides 
these,  there  were  George  C.  Reynolds,  M.  D.,  and 
wife,  and  ten  unmarried  women ;  namely,  Misses 
Rebecca  A.  Tracy,  Charlotte  Elizabeth  Ely,  Mary  A. 
C.  Ely,  Harriet  G.  Powers,  Cyrene  0.  Van  Duzee, 
Olive  L.  Parmelee,  Isabella  C.  Baker,  Flavia  S.  Bliss, 
Ursula  C.  Clarke,  and  Ardelle  M.  Griswold.  Mardin 
was  now  manned,  for  the  first  time,  with  three  mis- 
sionaries, Messrs.  Williams,  Andrus,  and  Pond,  with 
Misses  Parmelee  and  Baker,  two  unmarried  young* 
women.  Dr.  Van  Lennep  and  Mr.  Ladd  closed  their 
labors  in  connection  with  the  mission  in  1869. 

It  was  not  alone  at  Harpoot,  that  the  year  1869 
Revival  at  opcucd  with  a  revival  of  religion.  Aintab, 
Marash.        Bitlis,  Marash,  and  Mardin  were  favored 


THE  ARMENIANS.  401 

with  the  like  blessing-.  The  "  Week  of  Prayer  "  at 
Marash  was  described  as  a  jubilee.  Both  houses  of 
worship  were  opened,  each  day,  an  hour  before  sun- 
set, and  in  each  was  a  gathering-  of  at  least  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty ;  where  the  many  spontaneous  prayers, 
and  the  pastor's  vain  endeavors  to  close  the  services 
within  the  hour,  showed  that  the  attendance  was  not 
a  mere  form.  Twenty-nine  out  of  fifty-two  candi- 
dates were  admitted  to  the  first  church,  and  twenty- 
one  out  of  forty  to  the  second.  Nearly  all  these  were 
able  to  read  ;  and  the  examination  was  deemed  more 
remarkable  than  the  number  received. 

In  respect  to  Mardin,  I  cannot  refrain  from  quot- 
ing the  expressive  words  of  Mr.  Williams,  Rg^j^^iat 
whose  pen  had  much  of  graphic  power.  ^*"^- 
"  The  community  here  received  the  proposal  to  ob- 
serve the  week  of  prayer  most  joyfully,  and  preferred 
two  meetings  a  day  to  one,  —  the  first  at  sunrise, 
the  second  an  hour  and  a  half  before  sunset,  each  an 
hour  long.  Our  first  meeting  was  in  a  pouring  rain, 
thirty  present.  This  is  the  first  pleasant  day,  and 
seventy-six  were  present  in  the  morning.  One  of  the 
preachers  opens  the  meeting  by  singing,  reading, 
remarks,  and  prayer.  This  occupies  from  twenty-fi.ve 
to  thirty  minutes,  and  then  the  meeting  is  thrown 
open  to  others,  and  six  or  eight  prayers,  short  and 
pertinent,  fill  the  time  till  the  hour  is  up.  We  never 
before  have  been  able  to  start  a  prayer-meeting  here, 
and  now  they  move  off  in  a  line,  as  if  they  had  done 


402      MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

nothing  else  all  their  lives.  I  think  as  many  as 
twenty-five  persons  have  led  iu  prayer." 

A  church  had  not  yet  been  formed,  but  the  Prot- 
Nativecan-  ^staut  community  undertook  the  entire 
forei^^^it  support  of  their  preacher,  and  also  of  one 
of  their  own  number  as  a  missionary  to  the 
Koords.  The  latter  is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Will- 
iams :  "  A  great,  six  feet,  brawny  fellow,  with  un- 
washed clothes  (he  is  a  tanner),  long,  disheveled  hair, 
large,  open  features,  and  eyes  black  as  coal,  that 
shine  like  stars;  but  so  simple  in  his  trust,  so  tender 
iu  his  love  to  Jesus,  and  earnest  in  his  efforts  to  do 
good  !  He  learned  to  read  with  steady,  earnest  ap- 
plication, and  his  questions  are  so  spiritual,  so  hum- 
ble, so  childlike,  that  it  is  as  the  sun  whenever  he 
enters  my  door. 

"  One  evening  Oosee  (Hosea)  came  in  with  clothes 
torn,  fez  ^  gone,  face  bloody,  hair  wildly  disheveled, 
but  the  same  genial  lustre  beaming  from  his  eyes, 
accompanied  by  another  Protestant,  Daoud  (David), 
who  was  earnest,  almost  imperative,  that  I  should 
at  once  go  to  the  governor  and  enter  complaint. 
Asking  for  particulars,  I  learned  that,  returning 
from  his  garden  soon  after  sunset,  Oosee  was  set 
upon  by  a  crowd  of  Papists,  and  escaped  in  the  plight 
I  saw  him.  Daoud  insisted  that  unless  those  men 
were  at  once  imprisoned,  no  one  would  be  safe.  I 
asked  Oosee  how  he  felt  about  it.    '  Just  as  you  say, 

1  Red  Turkish  cap. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  403 

Khowaja,'  ^  was  his  reply.  I  read  to  him  parts  of 
Rom.  xii.  and  xiii.,  aud  showed  him  that  he  was 
justified  in  entering  complaint,  that  he  had  a  right 
to  protection,  and  that  those  who  had  set  upon  him 
doubtless  deserved  punishment ;  but  said  I,  '  Would 
those  men  have  touched  you  when  you  were  a 
Papist?'  'Not  one.'  'Why?'  'They  dare  not. 
Why,  they  knew  I  could  thrash  the  whole  of  them, 
and  would  have  feared  I'd  kill  them.  They  knew 
me.'  '  And  now  ? '  '  Now  they  think  I'm  a  Prote, 
and  wont  strike  back.'  '  Did  you  ? '  '  Not  a  bit ;  I 
only  tried  to  get  away  from  them.'  'And  if  now, 
instead  of  throwing  them  into  prison,  you  forgive 
them,  and  treat  them  as  if  nothing  had  happened, 
do  you  think  they  will  see  any  difference  between 
Oosee the  Papist,  and  Oosee the  Prote ? '  'Of  course 
they  will.'  *  To  what  will  they  charge  the  differ- 
ence ? '  '  To  my  new  religion.'  *  Will  not  that  lead 
them  to  admit  the  power  of  the  Gospel  ?  Will  it  not 
honor  Christ  ?  '  '  Yes,  I  believe  it  will.'  *  Well,  Oosee, 
just  as  you  say.  If  you  on  the  whole  wish  it,  I  will 
go  to  the  governor  and  enter  complaint,  —  you  have 
a  clear  right  to  this,  —  or  I  will  let  it  drop  just  here, 
as  you  please.'  '  No,  Khowaja,  I'll  not  complain,  I 
forgive  them.  I'll  go  home  and  treat  them  as  if 
nothing  had  happened.  That  is  what  Jesus  says, 
and  I'll  do  it.  Perhaps  they  will  come  to  Christ.' 
He  has  never  since  been  molested. 

1  Gentleman  —  a  title  given  to  the  missionaries  in  Eastern  Turkey. 


404     MTSSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

"When  it  was  decided  to  take  a  new  class  of  train- 
ing pupils  in  Arabic,  Oosee  was  the  first  to  whom  I 
spoke  about  joining  it.  The  proposition  was  wholly 
unexpected,  and  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  the  joy 
that  shone  in  his  eyes  and  beamed  from  every  feature  ! 
I  asked  him  if  he  thought  his  wife  would  consent  to 
his  going.  '  We  will  ask  Jesus,'  he  said.  '  If  he 
wants  me  to  go  he  will  make  her  willing.  I  don't 
think  she'll  oppose.'  To  some,  who  attempted  to 
dissuade  him  on  the  ground  that  the  allowance  was 
insufficient  for  his  family,  he  said,  '  If  only  they  will 
let  me  study,  we  will  consent  to  live  in  the  yard ;  no 
matter  about  a  house,  we'll  get  on  any  way ;  any- 
thing for  Jesus.'  Some  days  after,  I  said ;  "  How 
about  the  wife  ? '  '0,  she  says  go,  and  if  need  be 
we'll  sell  our  vineyard  to  meet  expenses.  She  is 
more  anxious  to  go  than  I.'  The  vineyard  would 
possibly  bring,  if  sold,  forty  dollars  in  currency." 

A  church  was  organized  at  Mardin  in  February, 
Church  or-     wliich  cugagcd   to   choose  and  support  a 

ganized  at 

Mardin.  pastor.  Ou  Sabbath  afternoon,  when  it  was 
organized,  and  the  sacraments  were  administered, 
there  were  present  three  hundred  and  fifty  persons, 
in  a  room  which  Mr.  Williams  says,  "  I  had  always 
insisted  would  hold  one  hundred  and  fifty,  if  properly 
packed."  While  candidates  were  being  examined. 
Wife  of  ^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^  Oosee  presented  herself.  "  No 
°°'**"  one  had  thought  of  her  as  a  church-mem- 

ber, but  before  her  examination  was  through,  each 


THE  ARMENIANS.  405 

had  written  against  her  name  '  accepted.'  We  were 
as  much  delig-hted  as  surprised  at  her  answers,  and 
the  meek,  loving-  spirit  she  showed."  Oosee  did  not 
go  on  the  proposed  mission,  not  deeming  himself 
sufficiently  educated ;  hut  is  understood  to  have 
adorned  his  Christian  profession  down  to  the  present 
time. 

The  reader  has  already  some  acquaintance  with 
the  people  of  Zeitoon,  inhabiting  the  moun-  gt^^ggig 
tains  north  of  Marash.     Until  subdued  by  Spie^'of 
the  Turks  in   1862,  they  were   famed  for 
their  defiance  of  all  law.     The  town  contained  about 
twelve  thousand  inhabitants,  all  of  them  Armenians. 
The  men  were  described  as  of  athletic  make,  quick 
step,  and  piercing  eyes,  showing  in  all  their  bearing 
that  they  breathed  the  free  air  of  the  mountains. 
The  town  is  about  thirty-five  miles  from  Marash, 
built  against  the  side  of  a  high  rock,  the  houses 
hanging  one  above  another,  so  that  the  roof  of  the 
house  below  is  the  front  yard  of  the  house  above. 

Two  years  after  their  subjugation,  Dr.  Pratt  made 
a  professional  visit,  to  attend  one  of  their  leaders 
then  dangerously  sick,  and  suffered  no  molestation. 
Two  years  later,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  several 
Protestants,  Mr.  Montgomery  a,ttempted  a  visit,  with 
Pastor  Avedis  of  the  second  church  of  Marash,  and 
a  deacon  of  the  first  church.  The  town  being  then 
under  Turkish  authority,  they  anticipated  no  special 
danger.    "  At  evening,  as  we  were  entering  the  city," 


406      MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

writes  Mr.  Montgomeiy,  "  to  visit  the  governor  of 
the  place,  according  to  custom,  a  furious  mob  of 
Deadly  as-  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^J^  dragged  us  from  our  horses, 
^^*"  and  at  once  began  beating  and  stoning  us 

with  frantic  rage,  rending  the  air  with  savage  yells. 
Our  Protestant  guide  was  driven  out  of  sight  amid 
volleys  of  stones,  the  mob  crying,  '  Kill  him  !  kill 
the  wretch  ! '  The  deacon  was  allowed  to  secrete 
himself;  but  for  Avedis  and  myself  there  was  no 
escape  till  the  mob  had  spent  their  fury,  stoning  us, 
and  afterwards  kicking  and  beating  our  prostrate 
bodies,  while  we  were  looking  for  escape  only  through 
death." 

At  this  crisis,  a  great  strong  man,  yelling  so  as  to 
appear  in  sympathy  with  the  mob,  rushed 

The  rescue.  ,  ,        '     ,,r        T./r       , 

up  to  where  Mr.  Montgomery  was  lying, 
and  threw  him  on  his  horse,  saying  to  him  in  an  un- 
der tone,  "  Don't  be  afraid,  trust  me ; "  and  then 
with  curses  hurried  him  out  of  the  way,  and  took 
him  and  the  pastor  in  the  dark  to  his  own  house, 
where,  as  he  dared  not  to  keep  them,  he  got  them 
ready,  as  well  as  he  could,  to  return  at  once  to 
Marash. 

"  Thus  we  were  saved,"  continues  Mr.  Montgom- 
ery, "after  having  been  in  the  hands  of  the  mob 
over  two  hours.  We  had  a  hard  ride  that  night, 
hatless,  our  clothes  bloody  and  torn,  and  our  bodies 
so  bruised  that  we  could  scarce  sit  on  our  horses ; 
but  we  were  enabled  to  pick  our  way  homeward  by 
the  rough  mountain  paths." 


THE  ARMENIANS.  407 

It  was  subsequently  known  that  this  outrage  was 
instigated  by  the  priests  at  Marash,  with  the  con- 
nivance of  the  governor.  Meanwhile  the  Zeitoou 
people  were  fearful  lest  they  had  gone  too  far,  and 
the  Protestants  began  to  breathe  more  freely ;  and 
many,  who  had  failed  to  declare  themselves  before, 
now  stood  up  openly  for  the  truth. 

In  the  summer  of  1868,  a  native  preacher  was 
sent  to   Zeitoon    by  the   home  missionary  TheGospei 

gains  a  foot- 

society  of  Marash,  and  was  allowed  to  re-  i^g. 
main  unmolested,  with  ample  opportunities  for 
preaching  the  Word.  At  the  close  of  the  year,  Mr. 
Trowbridge,  having  removed  from  Constantinople  to 
Marash,  made  a  visit  to  Zeitoon,  and  remained  there 
laboring  freely  from  Thursday  till  Monday.  His 
guide  homeward  was  a  Zeitoon  Protestant,  —  "a  tall, 
gaunt  man,  past  middle  life,  who  has  suffered  much 
there  for  Christ's  sake.  At  one  time  the  people 
blackened  his  face  with  a  coal,  put  him  astride  of  a 
donkey  with  his  face  towards  the  tail,  and  thus 
paraded  him  through  the  streets ;  a  crier  shouting 
before  him,  '  Thus  shall  it  be  done  to  all  who  reject 
the  worship  of  saints,  and  do  not  honor  the  Virgin 
Mary.'     There  is  now  no  persecution." 

Hopeful   indications   once  more  appeared  among 
the  Greeks  at  Erzroom  and  Trebizond,  and  coaatofthe 
also  at  Kerasun  and   Ordo,  on    the   coast   ^^^^^^^^ 
of  the  Black  Sea  west  of  Trebizond.     Mr.  Parmelee 
visited  the  two  places  last  named,  and  put  a  helper 


408     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

uamed  Harootune  at  Ordo,  around  whom  the  people 
gathered,  earnestly  desiring  to  learn  the  way  of  life. 
Even  the  women,  who  were  precluded  by  their  notions 
of  propriety  from  assembling  with  the  men,  anxiously 
inquired  when  the  helper  would  bring  his  wife,  that 
she  might  teach  them  also.  Persecution  arose,  but 
as  usual  it  was  overruled  for  good. 

Dr.  William  Goodell,  after  more  than  forty  years 
Death  of  Dr.  of  successful  missionary  service,  returned  iu 
1865,  in  feeble  health,  to  spend  the  evening 
of  life  in  his  native  land.  With  his  wife,  who  had 
been  his  faithful  companion  from  the  first,  he  made 
his  home  with  his  eldest  son,  a  physician  in  Phila- 
delphia. There,  beloved  and  revered,  he  lived  until 
February  18,  1867,  when  he  was  removed  to  his 
heavenly  home,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 

To  the  early  friends  of  Dr.  Goodell  it  seemed  that 
His  life  and  ^^^^  providcutial  call  was  to  be  a  preacher  of 
Eharacter.  ^j^^  Gospcl ;  aud  such  hc  really  was  all 
through  life,  and  the  printed  volume  of  his  sermons 
in  Armeno-Turkish,  translated  also  into  Armenian 
and  Bulgarian,  has  had  a  very  extensive  circulation.* 

1  The  report  of  the  Nicomedia  station  for  1871,  contains  the  fol- 
lowing :  "  In  Diermendere,  a  basket-maker  has  learned  Turkish,  and 
is  supplied  with  books  and  tracts  in  that  language  for  use  among  the 
Turks.  The  book  he  thinks  most  of,  and  which  he  begs  may  be  put 
into  the  Arabic  character,  is  Dr.  Goodell's  sermons.  A  Baghchejuk 
brother,  whose  business  takes  him  often  among  the  Turks  in  the 
vicinity  of  Armash,  always  takes  these  sermons  with  him.  He  says 
that  the  Turks  always  listen  with  interest,  and  sometimes  with  tears. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  409 

But  Divine  Providence  so  ordered  the  events  of  his 
early  missionary  career,  that  transhiting  the  Scrip- 
tures became  his  principal  work.  He  began  at  Malta 
to  translate  the  New  Testament  from  the  original 
into  the  Armeno-Turkish.  That  done,  he  entered 
upon  the  Old  Testament ;  and  he  completed  the  last 
revision  of  the  Bible  in  1863.  It  was  a  great  and 
good  work,  and  will  transmit  his  name  for  grateful 
remembrance  to  future  ages. 

Dr.  Goodell  had  few  equals  as  an  agreeahle  letter- 
writer.  The  author  was  in  official  correspondence 
with  him  through  his  whole  missionary  life,  and 
never  ceased  admiring  his  vivacity,  humor,  and 
felicity  of  expression,  the  aptness  of  his  thoughts, 
and  his  very  appropriate  quotations  of  Scripture. 
He  had  the  power,  beyond  most  men,  of  passing  at 
once  and  by  an  easy  transition,  from  the  merriest 
laughter  to  the  most  serious  topics.  His  addresses 
to  children  had  a  resistless  charm,  and  his  power 
of  turning  a  conversation  into  channels  of  his  own 
choice  was  invaluable,  in  dealing  with  conceited  dis- 
putatious orientals.  "  Indomitable  in  his  purpose 
to  do  good,  affable  and  courteous  in  manner,  of  ready 
tact,    and    abounding    in    resistless   pleasantry,   he 

He  is  often  requested  to  read  the  same  sermon  over  and  over  again." 
The  Marsovan  report  for  the  same  year  contains  the  following :  "At 
Vizier  Keopreu  a  change  in  public  sentiment  has  taken  place  to  such  a 
degree,  that  the  Armenian  teacher  is  preaching  Dr.  Goodell's  sermons 
to  attentive  audiences  of  his  own  people." 


410    MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

gained  access  wherever  he  chose  to  go,  aud  wielded 
an  influence  powerful  for  good  upon  all  with  whom 
he  chose  to  associate.  He  commanded  the  respect 
of  foreign  ambassadors  and  travellers,  of  dignitaries 
in  the  Oriental  Churches,  bankers,  aud  the  highest 
in  society,  as  well  as  the  common  people.  Even 
enemies  were  constrained  to  honor  him.  Few  pos- 
sess in  so  high  a  degree  the  admirable  faculty  of 
doing  good  without  offense,  and  of  recommending 
personal  religion  to  the  world."  ^ 

Mr.  Herman  N.  Barnum's  account  of  a  tour  to 
Prolonged      Diarbcliir,  Mardin,  Sert,  Bitlis,  and  Moosh, 

tour  in  East- 
ern Turkey,  iu  1867,  briugs  the  Eastern  field  vividly  be- 
fore us.  His  new  associate,  Mr.  Henry  S.  Barnum, 
together  with  the  pastors  connected  with  the  Evan- 
gelical Union,  and  nine  recent  graduates  of  the  Sem- 
AtDiarbe-  ^^^U>  accompauied  him  as  far  as  Diarbe- 
^'  kir,  where  they  arrived  on  Saturday.   There 

was  a  union  service  of  the  two  congregations,  on 
the  next  day,  in  the  yard  of  one  of  the  chapels,  at 
which  as  many  as  eight  hundred  were  present.  The 
church  in  Diarbekir,  though  its  pastor  had  been 
absent  for  two  and  a  half  years,  and  there  was  only 
one  native  preacher  for  the  two  congregations,  yet 
had  maintained  the  ordinances,  and  secured  frequent 
accessions  to  the  community.  They  supported  their 
preacher,  aud  also  several  schools,  sent  money  to 
their  absent  pastor,  and  supported  two   students  at 

1  See  Missionary  Herald  for  1867,  pp.  129-133  :  also  1865,  p.  350. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  411 

the  Theological  Seminary,  whom  they  had  sent  thither 
to  be  educated  for  the  mission  in  Koordistau.  They 
chose  several  of  their  more  intellig'ent  members  to 
assist  the  preacher  in  keeping  up  the  services  of 
the  two  congregations ;  thus  proving  their  ability  to 
care  for  themselves  under  very  unfavorable  circum- 
stances. 

The  Union  was  in  session  four  days,  and  its  meet- 
ings were  well  attended.     The  evangelizing  Meeting  of 

°  o  o     theEvangel- 

of  Koordistan  received  a  good  deal  of  at-  icai  union. 
tention.  The  five  young  men  who  were  preparing 
for  it,  had  locations  assigned  them,  their  salaries 
fixed,  and  thus  the  native  pastors  were  acquiring 
experience  in  missionary  superintendence.  Seven 
young  men,  just  graduated  from  the  Seminary,  were 
carefully  examined  for  licensure,  especially  in  their 
religious  experience  and  their  motives  for  entering 
the  ministry. 

The  last  day  of  the  session  was  the  most  interest- 
ing, when  one  of  the  pastors  read  an  essay  upon 
the  "means  of  promoting  an  awakening  among 
the  unconverted ;  "  which  was  followed  by  remarks 
from  nearly  all  the  pastors  present.  The  interest 
was  greatest  when  some  gave  expression  to  their 
deep  feeling  of  responsibility,  and  to  the  conviction 
that  their  own  want  of  earnestness  and  spirituality 
was  the  reason  of  so  much  indifference  among  the 
unconverted. 


412     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES.- 

From  Diarbekir  the  missiouaries  and  six  of  the 
pastors  went  to  Mardin,  whence,  after  or- 

At  Mardin. 

darning-  one  pastor,  they  went  a  journey  of 

five  days  to  Sert.     There  they  took  part  in  another 

ordination,  and  the  formation  of  a  church. 

At  Sert. 

Elias,  the  new  pastor,  had  labored  long-  and 
faithfully  in  this  place,  and  refused  a  most  pressing 
Aremarka-    call  from  Mardiu,  thoua^h  in  worldly  things 

ble  church  ^  o  ^  o 

and  pastor,  it  was  much  morc  desirable.  He  believed 
he  could  be  more  useful  where  the  poor  and  op- 
pressed looked  to  him  as  their  spiritual  father. 
Out  of  seven  persons  who  offered  themselves  as 
candidates  for  church-membership,  six  were  organ- 
ized into  a  church.  The  congregation  was  small 
and  poor,  but  a  long  series  of  persecutions  had  won- 
derfully jjurged  them  of  selfishness.  They  had  paid 
largely  for  their  house  of  worship,  had  provided  the 
pastor  elect  with  a  new  suit  of  clothes  for  the  ordi- 
nation, and,  considering  their  deep  poverty,  had 
made  extraordinary  subscriptions  towards  the  re- 
quired half  of  his  salary.  They  now  adopted  the 
system  of  tithes  cheerfully,  which  had  been  so  suc- 
cessfully advocated  by  John  Concordance. 

From  Sert  Mr.  Williams  proceeded  to  Mosul,  and 
the  rest  to  Bitlis.     There  the  congregation 

At  Bitlis.  ° 

had  long  desired  for  their  pastor  Baron 
Simon,  who  received  ordination  as  an  evangelist 
years  before  at  Constantinople.  He  has  been  re- 
peatedly mentioned  as  Pastor  Simon,  and  was  a  man 


THE  ARMENIANS.  413 

of  experience  and  sterling  worth.  There  were  no 
missionaries  then  at  Bitlis.  From  hence  they  i^assed 
on  to  Moosh.  The  i)lain  on  which  the  town  is  situ- 
ated, is  sixty  miles  long  and  ten  or  twelve  -^^^^^^^ 
wide,  and  contains  about  seventy  nominally  fhe "ilUof 
Christian  villages.  The  travellers  were  ex-  ^°°^^- 
posed  to  a  snow-storm  while  crossing  the  plain.  "  It 
was  genuine  winter  weather,"  writes  Mr.  Barnum, 
"yet  I  think  I  never  saw  anywhere  else,  not  even  in 
the  warm  sunshine  of  Egypt,  so  much  nakedness, 
total  or  partial.  Adults  of  course  had  the  semblance 
of  clothing,  though  it  was  often  a  mass  of  rags, 
sewed  or  tied  together ;  but  the  poor  children  !  It 
makes  my  heart  ache  to  think  of  them.  Some  had 
a  tolerably  whole  shirt  and  drawers,  some  had  no 
drawers,  and  what  was  once  a  shirt  was  now  a  few 
shreds,  hanging  from  the  shoulders.  Many  had 
merely  a  rag,  as  a  sort  of  jacket,  with  holes  to  put 
the  arms  through,  and  others  had  not  a  thread  upon 
their  bodies.  The  people  seem  to  be  almost  bedless. 
Wherever  we  went,  we  found  that  the  beds  were  a 
piece  of  carpet,  or  felt,  or  only  a  little  straw,  with  a 
piece  of  carpet  as  a  covering.  In  the  six  or  seven 
villages  visited  by  us,  we  did  not  notice  a  woman,  or 
a  cbild,  who  had  either  stockings  or  shoes.  They 
walked  about  in  the  snow,  and  over  the  frozen 
ground,  with  bare  feet.  The  soil  is  fertile,  and  the 
people  own  the  land  themselves,  —  not  the  Turkish 
Aghas,  as  is  the  case  in  many  other  parts  of  the 


414       MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

country,  —  so  that  it  must  be  mere  thriftlessness, 
rather  than  any  stern  necessity,  which  makes  them 
so  destitute.  They  have  not  learned  to  raise  cotton, 
and  consequently  do  not  have  on  hand  the  material 
for  making-  clothes,  except  some  kinds  of  woolen 
garments ;  and  as  they  do  not  like  to  pay  money  for 
cotton  cloth,  they  live  in  this  truly  barbarous  state. 
Our  pastors  had  never  seen  any  destitution  like  this 
among  their  Christian  brethren,  and  it  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  them." 

Mr.  Barnum  adds :  "  The  spiritual  condition  of  the 
Spiritual  op-  people  is  as  bad  as  the  physical.  In  the  three 

pressionand  .  Tit 

poTerty.  or  four  monastcncs  surrounding  the  plain, 
there  are  said  to  be  fifty  vartabeds  —  men  of  more  or 
less  education.  What  a  work  they  might  do  in  these 
seventy  villages,  in  improving  the  condition  of  the 
people,  if  they  only  had  the  heart  for  it.  They  are  in 
a  great  measure  responsible  for  this  state  of  things. 
They  come  down  periodically  from  their  haunts  of 
dissipation,  and  gather  up  and  carry  off  whatever  the 
people  can  spare ;  and  this  has  helped  to  discourage 
enterprise.  The  great  want  now  is  the  pure  Gospel. 
This  will  not  only  save  their  souls,  it  will  give  them 
true  civilization  and  refinement.  To  us  it  seemed 
that  the  people  were  ripe  for  the  reception  of  the 
truth,  for  they  ai-e  growing  tired  of  their  present 
condition.  The  pastors  turned  away  from  Moosh 
plain  with  the  determination  to  induce  the  Evangel- 
ical Union,  if  consistent  with  the  work  undertaken 
in  Koordistan,  to  do  something  for  these  people." 


THE  ARMENIANS.  415 

This  journey  of  five  hundred  and  fifty  miles  occu- 
pied thirty-eig'ht  days,  and  was  too  much  for  the 
new  missionary,  who  reached  home  "jaded  and 
worn,"  and  had  a  serious  ilhiess.  Before  his  re- 
covery, and  probably  in  consequence  of  her  care  of 
her  husband,  Mrs.  Barnum  was  prostrated  Death  ofMrs. 

H.  S.  Bar- 
by  typhus  fever,  which  proved  fatal  on  the  num. 

31st  of  December,   1867,  a  little  more  than  three 

months  after  her  arrival  at  Harpoot.     But  even  in 

so  short  a  time  she  had  greatly  endeared  herself  to 

her  associates.! 

North  of  the  territory  traversed  by  Mr.  Barnum,  is 
the  Erzroom  district.  Of  the  sixty  thousand  ^-^^^^^^^^  ^f 
inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Erzroom  in  1868,  ^'■''°°'"- 
fifteen  thousand  were  Armenians.  The  hundred  vil- 
lages scattered  over  its  plain  are  smaller  and  more 
scattered  than  those  on  the  plain  of  Harpoot.  But 
then  the  territory  connected  with  Erzroom  is  nearly 
as  large  as  New  England  west  of  Maine,  and  has  a 
population  of  half  a  million,  two  thirds  of  whom  are 
Armenians.  Touring  in  this  territory  is  easy,  as 
compared  with  the  Harpoot  district ;  since  the  roads, 
almost  everywhere,  admit  of  the  use  of  wheels,  and 
on  the  public  thoroughfares  the  khans  are  compar- 
atively good.  A  wagon  road  was  then  in  a  sluggish 
process  of  construction  from  Trebizond  across  the 
mountains. 

The  church  in  Diarbekir  continued  to  grow,  even 

1  Missionary  Herald  for  1868,  p.  136. 


416        MISSIONS   TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

during-  the  three  or  four  years'  absence  of  the  pastor. 

They  were    active  in  communicating  the  truth  to 

their  neighbors,  and  were  especially  interested  in 

securing   the   introduction   of  the  Gospel  into  the 

surrounding   villages,   and   into    Koordistan.      But 

since  then,  the  energy  bestowed  upon  these  outside 

enterprises  has  been  turned  toward  the  building  of  a 

large  church,  by  means  of  funds  collected  by  the 

pastor   chiefly   in   England,   and   to    strictly  home 

affairs. 

The  young  men  sent  on  the  mission  to  Koordis- 

The  missiou    tau  addrcsscd  themselves  chiefly  to  the  Ar- 
te Koordis- 
tan- menians  and  Jacobites,  without  neglecting 

the  Moslems,  Koords,  and  Yezidees.  These  sects, 
in  their  social  intercourse,  used  only  the  Koordish 
language ;  but  in  their  prayers,  the  Armenians  used 
the  ancient  Armenian,  the  Jacobites  the  ancient 
Syriac,  and  the  Koords  the  Arabic,  all  wholly  un- 
intelligible to  them.  And  it  was  a  new  thought  to 
them,  that  God  could  be  addressed  in  the  Koordish 
language. 

A  company  of  native  missionaries  was  sent  from 
Mission  to      Harpoot,  in  the  summer  of  1868,  to  the  be- 

the  Moosll  ,  .  rt    T, «-  ,  mi   • 

Village.  mghted  region  of  Moosh.  This  was  a  re- 
sult of  the  tour  just  described,  and  was  a  self-denying 
enterprise,  but  the  sacrifice  was  cheerfully  made. 

The  two  Seminaries  at    Harpoot  were  now  full. 
The  Semi-      Includiug  the  students  brought  thither  for 

naries  at 

Harpoot.       a  time  from  Mardin,  and  the  Koordish  stu- 


THE  ARMENIANS.  417 

dents,  there  were  fifty  in  each  Seminary ;  and  these, 
with  their  chiklren,  made  a  colony  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty. 

It  became  manifest,  soon  after  the  Crimean  war, 
that   the   Papal    ecclesiastics   in    Turkey,  crueiperse- 

outiou  at 

emboldened  by  the  increased  prospect  of  Mardiu. 
French  protection,  grew  relentlessly  cruel  where 
they  had  power,  in  their  persecutions  of  the  Prot- 
estants. A  painful  illustration  of  this  occurred  at 
Mardin  in  the  summer  of  1868,  upon  the  arrival  of 
a  new  Papal  Patriarch.  He  and  the  Papal  Armenian 
bishop  resolved  to  make  a  determined  effort  to  crush 
out  Protestantism.  The  charges  upon  which  the 
proceedings  were  based,  were  pretended  arrearages 
in  the  payment  of  taxes,  whereas  none  of  the  taxes 
were  due. 

On  July  25th,  six  Protestants  were  arrested,  and 
taken,  not  to  prison,  but  to  the  cavalry  camp,  to 
bring  water  for  the  horses,  sprinkle  the  ground, 
build  mangers,  clear  privies,  etc.  Suleeba,  the  Prot- 
estant preacher  from  Diarbekir  who  was  laboring 
there  at  the  time,  went  to  the  Muteserif  or  governor 
of  the  city,  and  represented  the  injustice  of  the  pro- 
ceeding. As  a  result,  he  was  ordered  to  prison  him- 
self, but  was  soon  released.  After  various  other 
eflforts  with  the  Muteserif  and  the  Pasha  to  secure 
justice  (in  which  he  was  opposed  by  the  Papal  Syr- 
ian Patriarch,  and  by  priests  and  leaders  of  the  other 
sects  at  Mardin),  and  after  presenting  receipts  which 


418    MISSIONS  TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

had  been  given  the  Protestants  for  their  taxes,  Sul- 
eeba  was  delivered  to  the  soldiers,  with  the  rest.  He 
writes  :  — 

"  A  g-endarme  took  me  to  the  camp.  On  seeing 
me  the  soldier  said,  'This  is  their  priest;  bring  some 
large  jars  (water  jars)  for  him.'  They  fastened  two 
jars  to  my  neck,  one  before  and  one  behind,  and 
gave  two  into  my  hands.^  A  soldier  was  assigned 
to  each  one  of  us,  and  each  one  carried  a  long  stick 
of  wood,  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  with  these  they 
freely  beat  us.  In  jBlling  the  jars  which  were  fast- 
ened to  us,  the  soldiers  would  pour  nearly  as  much 
into  our  necks  as  into  the  jars,  so  that  we  were 
thoroughly  drenched  all  the  time.  Once  I  was  so 
much  fatigued  that  I  begged  permission  to  set  down 
the  jars  and  rest,  but  the  soldiers  would  not  allow 
me.  I  dropped  one  of  them,  as  I  could  not  hold  it 
any  longer,  for  the  road  was  long  and  ray  hands 
grew  weak.  In  trying  to  recover  it  I  fell  to  the 
ground,  and  the  soldier  beat  me  severely  with  his 
stick." 

It  was  on  Monday  that  Suleeba  was  sent  to  the 
camp,  and  things  remained  thus  till  Friday.  "  A 
little  after  sunrise  on  that  day,  a  gendarme  came 
and  said,  '  The  Protestants  are  wanted  at  the  palace.* 
We  were  taken  to  the  Muteserif,  and  he  began  to 
curse  us  in  the  vilest  manner  for  not  giving  the 

1  The  four  jars,  when  full  of  water,  weighed  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  419 

money.  I  said,  *  Examine  our  accounts,  and  if  you 
find  that  we  owe  anything  we  will  pay  it.'  He  then 
ordered  a  stick  to  be  brought,  —  it  was  a  strong  one, 
thicker  than  my  thumb,  —  and  telling  a  soldier  to 
take  me  by  the  head  and  bend  me  forward,  he  gave 
the  stick  to  a  centurion,  who  gave  me  ten  or  twelve 
blows.  I  still  feel  the  soreness,  though  he  was  not 
violent  in  his  beating." 

"  About  nine  o'clock  they  called  us  to  the  Mejlis, 
or  city  council.  After  a  careful  examination  of  the 
documents,  in  which  the  Pasha's  scribe,  Fettah  Ef- 
fendi,  took  a  prominent  part,  the  Mejlis  said  with 
one  voice,  to  those  on  the  other  side,  '  You  have  no 
claim  whatever  on  the  Protestants.'  "  This  decision 
was  not  accepted  by  the  enemies  of  the  Protestants. 
In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  Suleeba  writes  : 
"  The  Patriarch  and  the  Papal  Armenian  Bishop 
called  on  the  Pasha.  They  stayed  about  half  an  hour. 
Before  they  left,  a  lieutenant  came  from  the  Pasha, 
accompanied  by  two  priests,  and  said  to  the  Mute- 
serif,  '  The  Pasha  orders  that  you  instantly  deliver 
each  one  of  the  Protestants  to  two  gensdarmes,  and 
collect  the  money  from  each  one  at  once,  according 
to  this  paper.'  The  Muteserif  replied,  '  There  is  no 
claim  upon  these  men.  What  shall  we  collect? '  He 
replied,  '  This  is  the  Pasha's  order.'  The  Muteserif 
said,  '  We  have  just  examined  these  men's  accounts, 
and  have  found  that  the  Protestants  do  not  owe  a 
para.     Tell  the  Pasha  so.'     The  Lieutenant  replied. 


420     3fTSSI0NS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

'  The  Patriarch  and  Bishop  were  with  the  Pasha  just 
now,  and  he  tokl  them  that  this  money  should  be 
collected.'  The  Muteserif  then  turned  to  Fettah 
Efteudi,  of  Diarbekir,  and  urg-ed  him  to  go  and  ex- 
plain to  the  Pasha,  but  he  did  not  wish  to  go.  He 
then  called  out,  much  excited,  '  Come,  gensdarmes, 
take  these  men  and  kill  them.'  I  then  said,  '  How 
much  money  do  you  want  ?  Tell  us,  and  we  will  give 
it.'  The  Muteserif  said, '  I  don't  know.'  I  said,  '  You 
are  delivering  us  over  to  these  soldiers.  Tell  us  how 
much  you  want  and  we  will  give  it,  and  save  our- 
selves from  them.'  The  Muteserif  then  asked  Fettah 
Effeudi,  who  had  looked  over  our  documents,  and 
who  had  said  that  the  Protestants  owed  nothing, 
*  How  much  are  these  men  to  pay  ? '  He  said,  '  I 
don't  know.'  He  then  turned  to  the  members  of  the 
other  sects  and  said,  '  How  much  do  you  want  of 
these  men  ? '  They  said,  '  Let  them  come  to  the 
market  [where  the  chief  of  police  was  receiving 
taxes],  and  we  will  see.'  So  we  were  hurried  off 
there.  This  was  less  than  an  hour  before  sunset. 
We  were  taken  to  the  shop  occupied  by  Daoud  Agha, 
the  chief  of  the  police.  A  great  crowd  gathered  as 
we  went  along,  and  afterwards,  which  completely 
filled  all  the  streets  in  that  vicinity.  As  we  entered, 
Daoud  Agha,  who  is  an  old  enemy  of  the  Protestants, 
said  to  his  men,  '  Bring  me  two  bottles  of  raki  and 
three  or  four  candles,  and  I  will  collect  this  money 
before  morning." 


THE  ARMENIANS  421 

The  reader  will  remember  the  interesting  account 
Mr.  Williams  gave  of  the  conversion  of  an  influential 
merchant  at  Mardin  named  Meekha.^  This  is  the 
old  man,  Muksi  Meekha,  whom  the  chief  of  the 
police  delivered  over  to  the  gensdarmes,  with  the 
charge  to  collect  six  thousand  piasters  from  him. 
Mr.  Barnum  thus  describes  the  treatment  he  re- 
ceived :  "  They  took  him  out  into  the  street  and  be- 
gan to  beat  him  with  their  gun-stocks.  This  is  done 
by  taking  the  gun  in  both  hands  and  striking  with 
it  endwise.  He  promised  to  give  security  for  the 
payment  of  the  money  in  the  morning,  and  begged 
to  be  allowed  till  morning  to  raise  the  money,  as  the 
shops  were  all  shut ;  but  they  said,  '  We  must  have 
the  money  now.'  He  wandered  through  the  market 
in  the  vain  hope  of  finding  somebody  who  would 
advance  the  money,  the  guard  all  the  time  beating 
him,  and  so  severely  that  he  several  times  fell  down, 
and  his  outer  garment  was  torn  into  shreds ;  and  he 
has  since  that  time,  now  more  than  a  week,  kept  his 
bed  most  of  the  time.  At  last  he  met  a  member  of 
the  Mejlis  (a  Turkish  member),  who  told  the  guard 
that  if  it  was  money  they  wished  they  must  take  liejil 
from  him,  and  wait  till  morning,  as  it  was  now  even- 
ing, and  nobody  could  raise  money  at  that  time ; 
'but,'  he  said,  'if  your  object  is  to  kill  him,  take 
him  back  to  the  chief  of  police  and  butcher  him 
there.'     They  then  took  him  back  to  the  crowd,  and 

1  See  Chapter  xxvii. 


422     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

he  found  a  man  who  gave  a  part  of  the  money  and  a 
note  for  the  payment  of  the  rest  in  the  morning, 
and  he  was  released.  He  thinks  that  he  would  have 
been  killed  but  for  the  intervention  of  the  Turk. 

"  Each  one  of  the  prisoners  was  then  passed  over 
to  two  gensdarmes.  Some  of  these  were  at  once 
delivered,  by  their  friends  advancing  the  money ;  but 
four  of  them,  besides  Muksi  Meekha,  were  treated 
just  as  he  was,  and  all  of  them  have  kept  their  beds 
most  of  the  time  since. 

"  The  police  were  at  the  same  time  sent  to  the 
houses  of  all  the  other  Protestants,  and  they  were 
brought,  and  the  money  which  the  sects  demanded 
collected  from  them,  by  their  paying  the  money  or 
getting  security  for  its  payment  in  the  morning.  In 
this  way,  in  the  space  of  a  few  hours,  and  that  even- 
ing, nineteen  thousand  piasters  were  collected." 

Only  a  very  small  portion  of  this  money  was  ever 
refunded. 

Mention  was  made,  in  connection  with  Dr.  Good- 
Eevivaiat  ^^^'^  ^^^^^  ^^  *^^^  ccutral  missiou  in  1862,  of 
^°'^*"  the  progress  of  the  evangelical  reformation 

at  Oorfa.  Two  years  later,  Mr.  Nutting,  the  resident 
missionary,  announced  an  interesting  revival  of  re- 
ligion among  his  people.  Both  church  and  congre- 
gation were  aroused,  and  the  missionary  had  never 
seen  more  thorough  conviction  of  sin,  than  was  ap- 
parent in  many.  They  had  been  studying  the  West- 
minster Assembly's  Catechism  for  two  years,  and 


THE  ARMENIANS.  423 

recently  had  attended  lectures  on  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans  ;  "  and  the  fundamental  truths  thus  lodged 
in  their  minds,"  writes  Mr.  Nutting",  "had  been 
greatly  blessed."  They  met  entirely  the  expense  of 
their  own  religious  and  educational  institutions.  In 
Februaiy,  1865,  the  church  numbered  forty-two,  and 
as  many  more  were  known  to  be  inquirers. 

About  this  time  there  arose  considerable  uneasi- 
ness in  the  mission  from  an  apprehension  Apprehen- 

ded  doctrj- 

of  doctrmal  errors  in  a  candidate  for  the  nai  errors. 
pastorate  of  this  church.  To  what  extent  such  er- 
rors actually  existed,  was  never  determined  with 
certainty,  but  there  was  a  spirit  of  alienation  and 
division,  which  was  regarded  with  concern.  The 
churches  in  Oorfa  and  its  four  out-stations  contained 
a  total,  in  1870,  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  mem- 
bers, of  whom  twenty-five  had  been  received  in  the 
previous  year.  The  Report  of  the  Board  for  1871  de- 
clares the  difficulties  of  former  years  to  have  happily 
passed  away ;  except  that  unsound  doctrinal  views 
continued  to  disturb  the  harmony  of  the  church  at 
Severek,  and  that  this  place  was  noted,  in  early 
times,  for  the  prevalence  of  similar  errors. 

Mr.  Wlieeler  returned  from  his  visit  to  the  United 
States  in  October,  1868,  accompanied  by  Reception  of 

Mr.  Wheeler 

Mrs.  Wheeler,  and  the  Misses  Parmelee  atHarpoot. 
aud  Baker ;  and  they  were  met,  six  hours  or  nearly 
twenty  miles  out,  by  the  Harpoot  and  village  pastors, 
and  quite  a  delegation  from  the  city.     The  last  day 


424    MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

was  a  constant  succession  of  welcomes.  As  they 
drew  near  the  city,  they  saw  a  large  crowd  on  the 
hill,  with  a  white  flag.  It  was  the  theological  stu- 
dents drawn  up  in  a  line ;  and  next,  the  women  and 
girls  of  the  school ;  and  then  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren crowded  to  greet  them.  It  was  the  spontane- 
ous expression  of  love  to  those  who  had  told  them 
of  Christ  and  his  salvation. 

The  return  of  Dr.  David  H.  Nutting  from  the 
Progress  of     United   states  to  the  Central  mission,  in 

civilization  at  i    i  •  to 

Aleppo.  the  autumn  of  1868,  led  him  to  speak  of 
the  progress  of  civilization  at  Aleppo.  "  All  the 
stations  of  this  mission  are  now  connected  with  this 
city  by  telegraph,  while  it  is  connected  with  Con- 
stantinople. A  line  from  here  to  Killis,  Aintab,  and 
Marash,  has  just  been  constructed.  We  have  French 
and  Russian,  as  well  as  Turkish,  posts.  A  semi- 
weekly  paper  called  the  "  Frat "  (Euphrates),  is 
printed  here,  in  three  languages  —  Arabic,  Armeno- 
Tnrkish,  and  Arabo-Turkish.  The  streets  are  being 
repaved  and  widened  in  some  places,  and  street-lamps 
are  put  up.  A  carriage-road  from  here  to  Alexan- 
dretta,  the  sea-port,  is  to  be  built  immediately." 

John  Concordance,  the  blind  preacher  at  Hava- 
Death  of  doric,  died  at  that  place  in  March,  1869, 
cordance.  greatly  beloved  and  lamented,  and  not  by 
his  own  people  alone.  The  Armenians  vied  with  the 
Protestants  in  attending  to  the  burial  services,  and 
especially  in  seeing  that  Hohannes'  particular  re- 


THE  ARMENIANS.  425 

quests  were  carried  out  to  the  letter,  and  both  classes 
were  g'euuine  mourners  at  his  grave.  His  iuflueuce 
in  the  matter  of  consecrating  one  tenth  of  one's 
income  has  been  extensively  felt ;  and  he  practiced 
what  he  preached.  His  salary  was  only  eight  dollars 
a  month,  and  although  he  had  a  wife  and  child  to 
support  from  this,  he  never  failed  of  giving  one  tenth 
into  the  "  store-house ;  "  thus  leaving  but  little  more 
than  seven  dollars  for  the  monthly  support  of  himself 
and  family. 

In  the  year  1868,  Dr.  Schneider,  after  a  residence 
at  Aintab  of  a  score  of  years,  returned  ^i^tab  after 
again  to  Broosa.  It  was  natural  for  him  *^^''*yy«*'^- 
to  review  the  progress  of  the  good  work  at  Aintab 
during  his  connection  with  it,  and  his  statement 
will  interest  the  reader. 

"  I  preached  my  first  sermon  in  Aintab  to  a  com- 
pany of  twenty-five  or  thirty  in  the  year  1848. 
Now,  the  average  audience  is  near  one  thousand, 
and  often  rises  to  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred.  Then, 
there  was  a  church  of  only  eight  members ;  now, 
there  are  two  churches,  containing  three  hundred 
and  seventy-three  members.  Then,  the  entire  com- 
munity of  Protestants  numbered  only  forty  souls, 
while  at  present  there  are  nineteen  hundred,  small 
and  great.  The  number  has  become  so  large,  that  a 
division  into  two  separate  congregations  became  a 
necessity ;  and  while  there  was  then  hardly  any 
native  laborer,  now  two  able  native  pastors  are  set- 


426     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

tied  over  these  two  churches.  In  the  beg-inning", 
next  to  nothing  was  done  in  the  way  of  self-sup- 
port and  general  benevolence ;  while  now,  these 
communities  pay  the  salaries  of  their  pastors  and 
school-teachers,  and  all  their  other  expenses.  Be- 
sides this,  nearly  five  hundred  dollars  in  gold  were 
given  for  general  benevolence,  and  more  than  nine 
hundred  towards  a  second  church  edifice.  All  this 
in  a  community  where  a  day-laborer  receives  thirteen 
and  a  half  cents  per  day,  and  a  mason  or  carpenter 
thirty-two  cents.  In  view  of  their  poverty,  and  the 
exactions  of  the  government,  this  is  extraordinary 
liberality.  More  than  one  half  of  the  male  mem- 
bers of  these  churches  give  a  tithe  of  their  income 
to  benevolent  objects. 

"  In  the  beginning,  we  worshipped  in  a  private 
house ;  but  for  many  years  a  large  church  edifice 
has  been  filled,  and  a  second  one,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  second  church,  will  be  completed  in  a  few 
months.  At  first,  there  was  no  school  through  the 
week,  or  on  the  Sabbath  ;  now,  there  are  seven  com- 
mon schools,  with  nearly  four  hundred  pupils,  and 
a  Sabbath-school  averaging  a  thousand,  which  has 
been  as  high  as  sixteen  hundred.  More  than  a 
score  of  pastors  and  preachers  have  been  trained  at 
Aiutab,  most  of  whom  are  still  in  the  service,  and  a 
large  number  have  been  sent  forth  as  teachers  and 
colporters  into  the  surrounding  regions.  Finally, 
when  the  Gospel  was  first  preached  in  Aintab,  the 


THE  ARMENIANS.  427 

Protestants  Avere  despised  and  persecuted ;  while 
now,  they  are  not  only  recognized  as  a  regular  com- 
munity, with  rights  and  privileges,  but  they  have 
acquired  for  themselves  a  name,  respect,  and  influ- 
ence." 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE   AEMENIANS. 

1869-1872. 

The  year  1870  commenced  at  Marash  with  an- 
Another  re-  othcr   rcvival.     A  thousand   persons  were 

vival  at  Ma- 

rash.  present  at  the  prayer- meeting  on  the  3d  of 

January,  which  was  admirably  conducted  by  Pastor 
Murad.  The  missionaries,  though  present,  did  not 
deem  it  necessary  to  assist  him.  Fifty-three  new 
members  were  received  into  the  two  churches,  and  a 
much  larger  number  offered  themselves  for  admis- 
sion. Successful  efforts  were  made  to  reach  the 
women,  who  were  visited  in  their  own  homes  by  the 
wives  of  students  in  the  theological  school,  and  by 
the  older  scholars  in  the  girls'  school.  The  number 
of  houses  thus  visited  during  six  weeks,  was  three 
hundred  and  eight,  and  there  were  fifty-five  prayer- 
meetings. 

A  revival  was  also  in  progress  at  Bitlis.  For 
Another  at  m^uy  wccks  thcrc  had  been  a  sunrise 
^"^'  prayer-meeting  every  day,  and  it  was  fully 

attended  for  eight  months ;  its  location  being  changed 
occasionally  to  accommodate  different  parts  of  the 


THE  ARMENIANS.  429 

city.  The  meeting  ou  the  18th  of  February  was  the 
most  interesting  and  profitable.  Nearly  ninety  per- 
sons were  seated  on  the  floor  of  a  room  thirteen  feet 
by  twenty.  Pastor  Simon  had  charge  of  the  meet- 
ing, and  so  ready  were  the  people,  that  it  continued 
two  hours  and  three  quarters  before  he  could  bring 
it  to  a  close.  As  many  as  seventeen  spoke,  and 
about  as  many  prayed.  During  the  meeting,  a 
prominent  church-member  called  the  attention  of 
the  weeping  congregation  to  the  importance  of 
making  a  covenant  with  God  tww ;  and  after  reading 
a  beautiful  and  appropriate  hymn,  he  requested  all 
who  were  ready  to  make  such  a  covenant  to  rise. 
Nearly  all  rose,  and  while  they  were  standing,  he 
offered  an  earnest  prayer  for  the  aid  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  keeping  that  covenant.  It  was  an  impres- 
sive scene.  Forty  were  added  to  the  church  as  the 
result  of  this  revival.  The  people  paid  the  debt  on 
their  chapel  and  parsonage,  and  enlarged  the  for- 
mer. They  also  gave  a  site  for  the  building  to  be 
erected  by  the  two  Misses  Ely  for  the  girls'  boarding- 
school,  in  which  were  twenty  pupils,  for  the  most 
part  wives  of  native  helpers. 

Some  time  in  the  month  of  April,  the  good  people 
of  Bitlis   observed    a   day  of   fasting  and  New  church 

and  pastor  at 

prayer  for  the  village  of  Havadoric,  where  Havadonc. 
the  blind  preacher,  John  Concordance,  had  labored, 
and  where  he  died.     After  a  few  weeks,  Mr.  Knapp 
visited  the  place,  with  Pastor  Simon,  and  they  found 


430     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

delightful  evidence  of  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
It  was  in  contemplation  to  organize  a  church  in  that 
place,  and  the  church  in  Bitlis  had  sent  three  dele- 
gates, who  walked  forty-five  miles  over  the  muddy 
roads.  Ten  hours  were  spent,  the  day  after  their 
arrival,  in  examining  more  than  a  score  of  persons 
for  the  new  church,  and  eleven  were  approved,  in- 
cluding two  women.  After  the  church  had  been  or- 
ganized, Avedis,  a  graduate  of  the  Harpoot  Sem- 
inary, was  ordained  as  pastor.  Fifty  were  present  at 
the  Lord's  supper  from  Bitlis,  Moosh,  and  Khanus. 
The  barbarous  expulsion  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coifing 
Great  from  Hadjiu,  in  1862,  will  be  remembered.^ 

change  in 

Ha(^jiu.  This  was  attributed,  at  the  time,  to  the 
priests  and  the  Turkish  governor,  and  not  to  the  peo- 
ple. Mr.  Adams  from  Adana,  and  Mr.  Trowbridge 
from  Marash,  went  there  in  1870,  in  company  with 
Hagop  Effendi,  the  Civil  Head  of  the  Protestants  in 
Turkey,  who  was  then  on  an  official  tour  through 
the  empire.  They  found  the  door  for  Christian  effort 
wide  open,  as  Messrs.  Montgomery  and  Perry  had 
done  the  year  before.  Though  situated  on  the  north- 
ern side  of  the  Taurus  mountains,  Hadjin  is  more 
conveniently  cared  for  by  the  Central  mission  than 
by  the  Western,  and  that  section  of  country  had 
been  transferred  accordingly.  Native  laborers  had 
gone  there,  and  a  great  change  had  taken  place. 
Thirty-two  had  been  enrolled  as  Protestants,  and  no 

1  Seep.  221. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  431 

meution  is  made  of  opposition.  At  the  evening  ser- 
vices on  the  house-top,  where  the  missionar3''s  tent 
was  pitched,  not  only  the  Protestants,  hut  large 
numbers  of  the  Armenians,  listened  with  eager  at- 
tention. From  early  morn  until  dark  on  the  Sab- 
bath, there  was  hardly  an  intermission  in  the  preach- 
ing, exposition,  or  reading  of  the  Word  of  God. 

In  the  autumn  of  1869,  Dr.  Schneider,  by  direc- 
tion of  the  mission,  attended  the  examina-  Theological 

school  at 

tion  of  the  Theological  School  at  Marsovan.  Marsoyan. 
He  writes,  "The  examination  continued  through 
most  of  three  days,  and  as  a  whole  was  quite  sat- 
isfactory. The  appearance  of  the  students  in  theol- 
ogy was  peculiarly  gratifying.  The  readiness  and 
propriety  of  their  answers  proved  that  they  had  be- 
stowed thought  on  the  various  points  brought  up, 
and  saw  their  relations  to  one  another.  Their  pub- 
lic addresses,  when  they  received  their  diplomas, 
were  all  excellent,  while  some  were  of  quite  a  supe- 
rior order,  and  exhibited  no  common  degree  of  ora- 
torical power."  He  was  also  much  grgrtified  by  the 
appearance  of  the  girls'  boarding-school. 

Seven    days'   travel,   on    his    return    to   Broosa, 
brought  him  to   Angora,   a  city  of  from 

Angora. 

forty  to  fifty  thousand  inhabitants.     The 
probable  estimate  gave  ten  thousand  to  the  Catho- 
lics, three  hundred  to  the  Greeks,  a  thousand  to 
the  Armenians,  and  five  hundred  to  the  Jews ;  the 
remainder  were  Mussulmans.    Many  books  had  been 


432     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

sold  there,  much  light  disseminated,  aud  a  small 
body  of  Protestants  earnestly  entreated  for  a  mis- 
sionary to  reside  among  them,  or  at  least  for  an  ed- 
ucated native  preacher.  No  uneducated  man  could 
sustain  himself  there  against  the  powerful  array 
which  the  Roman  Catholics  could  bring  to  bear  upon 
him  by  means  of  their  educational  establishments. 
Among  the  obstacles  to  be  encountered,  were  the 
extreme  worldliness  of  the  people,  and  their  devo- 
tion to  sensual  pleasures.  Angora  is  within  the 
limits  of  the  ancient  Galatia,  and  very  probably  was 
the  site  of  one  of  "the  churches  of  Galatia."  It 
appears  not  yet  to  be  occupied  as  a  station. 

Another  interesting  place  was  Erzingan,  within 
the  Erzroom   district,  visited   by  Mr.  and 

Erzingan. 

Mrs.  Cole  in  the  autumn  of  1870.  They 
travelled  the  whole  distance  of  a  hundred  miles  in  a 
gig ;  with  many  risks,  it  is  true,  but  with  no  dis- 
aster. The  city  was  supposed  to  contain  as  many  as 
ten  thousand  Armenians,  forming  a  third  part  of 
the  population.  Mr.  Dunmore,  the  brave  pioneer, 
had  spent  three  months  there,  and  various  helpers 
had  been  stationed  there  from  time  to  time.  The 
missionary  and  his  wife  were  received  with  the  ut- 
most kindness,  and  had  crowded  meetings  during 
the  nine  days  they  were  there.  Mrs.  Cole  had  sev- 
eral interesting  meetings,  also,  with  the  women. 
"Thus  time  passed,"  writes  Mr.  Cole,  "and  you 
may  be  sure  it  was  a  continual  feast  to  the  soul,  and 
we  felt  quite  reluctant  to  turn  homeward." 


THE  ARMENIANS.  433 

The  mission  sent  by  native  churches  to  the  Koords, 
like  most  new   missions,  had  a  tardy  sue-  crisis  in  the 

mission  to 

cess ;  and,  after  four  years,  the  zeal  of  the  Koordistan. 
native  churches  began  to  flag,  and  some  of  the  na- 
tive pastors  proposed  to  stop  the  work  in  Koordis- 
tan, and  devote  themselves  more  fully  to  the  "  home 
field."  Knowing  that  the  influence  of  such  a  course 
would  be  disastrous,  Mr.  Wheeler  threw  visit  of  Mr. 
himself  into  the  breach,  and  was  off  for  a  ^^^'®'^- 
three  weeks'  tour  in  Koordistan.  Redwan,  the  seat 
of  the  mission,  was  eighty  miles  east  of  Diarbekir. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Hagop  Effendi,  Civil  Head 
of  the  Protestants,  and  two  native  preachers ;  and 
was  rejoiced  to  find  at  Redwan  a  congrega- 

,  The  mission. 

tion  of  eighteen  men,  thirteen  women,  and 
twenty-two  children.  They  had  learned,  or  begun 
to  learn,  to  read  in  the  Armeno-Koordish,  into  which 
the  four  Gospels  had  been  translated;  and  some  were 
learning  the  Armenian  language,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
read  the  whole  Bible.  Their  chapel,  of  sun-dried 
brick,  ten  feet  by  twenty,  was  crowded  on  the  even- 
ing of  their  arrival.  "  They  sang  '  Sweet  hour  of 
prayer,'  "  writes  Mr.  Wheeler,  "  and  '  There  is  no 
other  name  so  sweet,'  translated  from  Armenian  by 
their  preacher,  who  had  also  translated,  with  the 
help  of  Pastor  Mardiros  of  Harpoot,  '  Forever  with 
the  Lord,'  '  How  lost  was  my  condition,'  '  My  faith 
looks  up  to  Thee,'  "  Safely  through  another  week,' 
'  My  days  are  passing  swiftly  by,'  and  others.     Per- 


434    3nSSI0NS   TO  THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

haps  it  was  all  romance,  but  somehow  that  little, 
close,  low,  dark,  foul-aired  chapel  seemed  to  me 
almost  a  heavenly  place,  as  we  joined,  —  they  in 
Koordish  and  I  in  Armenian,  —  in  singing  those 
sweet  hymns."  At  an  expense  of  forty  dollars  in 
g-old,  the  people  bought  a  fine  lot  for  a  larger  build- 
ing, including  chapel,  school-room,  and  parsonage, 
which  they  hoped  to  put  up  in  the  following  year. 
They  desired  also  the  formation  of  a  church,  and 
the  ordination  of  a  pastor.  "  Do  you  wonder,"  adds 
Mr.  Wheeler,  "  that  I  returned  with  a  light  heart 
to  tell  the  churches  these  good  news  from  their 
mission  field  ?  "  The  Harpoot  church  immediately 
decided  to  send  a  school-teacher  to  Redwan,  so  that 
the  preacher  might  give  himself  entirely  to  his 
work. 

Mr.  Pond,  of  Mardin,  went  to  Sert  four  days  dis- 
tant in   Koordistan,  and  experienced   the 

Visit  to  Sert.  .  ,  ,  .  . 

usual  trials  by  the  way,  —  sleeping  in  "sti- 
fling stables,  with  a  perfect  menagerie  of  anima.ls 
and  fowls,  and  creeping  creatures  too  numerous  to 
catalogue." 

The  church  at  Sert  he  found  full  of  brotherly  love, 
simple  faith,  and  a  desire  for  knowledge.  It  had 
given  freely  to  the  brethren  in  Redwan,  and  paid 
the  entire  salary  of  its  own  pastor.  "  Indeed,"  says 
the  missionary,  "  but  for  this  church  in  Sert,  we 
should  almost  despond  for  the  Arabic-speaking  por- 
tion of  our  field.     In  Mardin,  it  is  true,  we  have  a 


THE  ARMENIANS.  435 

flourishing  cliurcb  and  community,  but  not  so  re- 
freshing- in  its  simplicity  and  strength  of  faith  and 
love.  The  pastor  of  the  Sert  church  is  one  of  the 
best  men  for  the  pastoral  work  I  have  ever  seen  in 
Turkey,  and  is  the  chief  cause,  under  God,  of  the 
cheering  state  of  his  flock." 

Mr.  Pond  next  visited  Mosul,  and  found  it  no 
longer  an  unpleasant  part  of  their  field,  ^osui  again 
"  Once,  and  that  not  long  ago,  it  was  the  ™"^'^' 
least  hopeful  spot  in  all  our  bishopric.  For  over 
thirty  years  has  the  Gospel  been  preached  there,  and 
by  such  men  as  Grant,  and  Lobdell,  and  Williams, 
Marsh,  and  Hinsdale.  The  church  contained  at 
one  time  twenty  members,  but  had  dwindled  to 
ten." 

A  pastor  was  to  be  ordained  at  Mosul,  and  Mr. 
Andrus,  missionary  from  Mardin,  Pastor  Jurgis  of 
Mardin,  Pastor  Elias  of  Sert,  and  delegates  from 
these  two  churches  were  there  to  aid  in  that  service. 
The  pastor  elect  was  ordained,  the  dead  branches  in 
the  church  were  cut  off,  and  eight  new  members 
were  added,  while  as  many  more  were  ready  to  join 
at  the  next  communion. 

Dr.  Williams  died  at  Mardin  on  the  14th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1871,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three,  bro-  Death  of  Dr 
ken  down  by  an  accumulation  of  labors  and  "^'^^'^^■ 
cares,  which,  until  near  the  close  of  his  life,  he  had 
been  compelled  to  bear  alone.  It  was  a  great  loss 
to  the  mission,  but  especially  to  Mardin ;  and  he 


436     MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

was  called  from  earth  just  when  the  clouds,  which 
had  made  his  field  seem  dark  to  him,  begau  to 
break.  He  saw  it,  and  rejoiced.  He  said  he  was 
like  Moses,  who  was  permitted  to  look  into  the 
promised  laud  from  Pisgah,  but  was  not  allowed  to 
enter  it. 

Mr.  H.  N.  Barnum,  who  knew  Dr.  Williams  in- 
Hischarac-  timatclj,  whilc  admitting  that  he  was  un- 
^'''  duly  disposed  to  distrust  his  own  powers 

and  judgment,  says  that,  aside  from  this,  he  was  a 
rare  man.  "  He  had  great  self-control,  and  was  so 
undemonstrative,  that  those  who  did  not  know  him 
intimately  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  known  him 
at  all.  He  possessed  genuine  refinement ;  and  with 
his  marvelous  fund  of  information  in  almost  all  de- 
partments of  knowledge,  his  fine  command  of  lan- 
guage, and  his  good  nature  and  enthusiasm,  he  was, 
in  his  more  cheerful  moods,  a  fascinating  member 
of  our  social  circle.  His  clear  mind  had  been  care- 
fully cultivated,  and  his  acquisitions  were  very  exact. 
However  much  he  distrusted  his  own  judgment,  his 
associates  confided  in  it.  He  was  forward  to  ac- 
knowledge any  mistake,  and  correct  it,  and  he  was 
enthusiastic  in  his  zeal  for  the  policy  of  self-support 
in  the  missionary  work.  His  students  held  him  in 
the  highest  admiration,  and  very  few  missionaries 
have  secured  the  affection  of  the  people  for  whom 
they  labor  so  fully  as  he  did.  Had  he  remained  at 
home,  I  am  sure  he  would  have  stood  conspicuous 


THE  ARMENIANS.  437 

among"  the  clerg-y.  He  was  very  carefid  in  the  use 
of  missionary  funds,  and  in  everything  maintained 
a  conscience  void  of  offense.  He  was,  withal,  emi- 
nently spiritual.  His  many  trials  had  wrought  in 
him  a  deep  and  thorough  work  of  grace." 

"  The  one  attraction  of  heaven  for  Mr.  Williams," 
writes  his  bereaved  wife,  "  was  Jesus.  *  Like  Jesus,' 
and  'without  sin,'  and  '  to  be  with  Jesus  and  see  Him 
as  He  is,'  were  phrases  ever  on  his  lips.  He  used 
often  to  speak  of  the  great  host  gone  before,  and  of 
the  loved  ones  constantly  gathering  there ;  but  it 
was  rare  to  hear  him  speak  of  joy  at  the  prospect 
of  meeting  them.  It  was  always  'Jesus,  the  joy  of 
loving  hearts.'  Neither  did  he  long  for  heaven  as  a 
place  of  rest,  until  very  near  the  end.  He  loved  toil, 
and  felt  a  great  desire  to  live  aud  labor  for  the 
Master."  "  At  last,"  she  says,  "  he  did  grow  very 
weary,  and  often  exclaimed,  '  So  tired,  O,  so  tired.' 
In  one  of  those  weariest  hours,  he  asked  me  if  I 
remembered  Bickersteth's  description  of  Paradise. 
'  Well,'  he  said,  '  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  it.  To 
think  of  climbing  over  those  mountains,  it  is  so 
wearisome.  I  think,  *  In  my  Father's  house  are  many 
mansions,'  and  I  want  to  be  taken  right  into  one 
of  them,  and  laid  dowji  to  rest  —  to  rest —  0,  how 
sweet.'    His  intellect  was  clouded  in  the  last  hours." 

I  find  some  facts,  received  in  1871,  concerning  the 
women  in  the  region  of  Cesarea,  indicating  The  women 

in  the  region 

a  decided   progress.      "  Three   years   ago,  of  cesarea. 


438     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

with  the  exception  of  Cesarea,  Yozgat,  and  Moon- 
jasoon,  the  truth  seemed  to  have  gained  but  very 
slight  hold  upon  the  women  at  our  several  out- 
stations.  But  few  were  ever  found  in  the  Sabbath 
congregation,  scarcely  any  could  read,  and  some  bit- 
terly persecuted  their  husbands.  But  now  a  marked 
change  is  visible,  and  the  women  form  no  inconsid- 
erable part  of  all  our  congregations  ;  large  numbers 
are  learning  to  read  ;  female  prayer-meetings  are 
held  at  nearly  or  quite  every  out-station  ;  and  an 
earnest  desire  for  improvement  is  everywhere  ap- 
parent. As  a  consequence,  a  corresponding  change 
is  observed  in  the  conduct  of  these  women.  They 
become  better  wives  and  mothers,  and  their  influence 
is  felt  for  good  upon  those  around  them." 

Messrs.  Wheeler  and  Reynolds  made  a  visit  to  Van 
Missionary  ^'^  ^^®  suuimer  of  1871,  preparatory  to  the 
visit  to  Van.  Qgc^^jation  of  that  important  post.  Most 
of  the  ninety  miles  from  Bitlis  to  Van,  was  within 
sight  of  the  lake ;  its  waters  reposing  in  quiet 
beauty  amid  the  mountains,  on  whose  loftiest  peaks 
there  still  lingered  patches  of  snow.  They  reached 
the  city  in  Sejitember,  and  were  there  a  week.  They 
found  more  readiness  to  receive  the  Word  of  God, 
and  its  teachers,  and  to  have  intercourse  with  them, 
than  they  had  expected.  They  were  also  agreeably 
disappointed  in  the  number,  who  were  desirous  that 
missionaries  should  reside  among  them.  The  region 
southeast  of  Van,  which  they  had  supposed  was  ex- 


THE  ARMENIANS.  439 

clusively  a  Koordisli-speaking  section,  they  found  to 
contain  a  number  of  Armenian  villages,  speaking' 
their  own  language,  with  Bibles  in  the  modern 
tongue,  and  men  accustomed  to  read  them.  At  the 
time  of  writing  these  pages,  missionaries  occupation 
are  understood  to  be  on  their  way  for  the  *'^^*''- 
permanent  occupation  of  Van,  should  such  be  the 
will  of  Providence. 

The  church  at  Cutterbul,  and  indeed  the  whole 
region    around   Diarbekir,    experienced   a  Death  of  a 

native  pas- 

severe  bereavement  early  in  1872,  in  the  tor. 
death  of  its  first  pastor  Abd  en  Noor.  "  He  was  a 
thoughtful  man,"  writes  Mr.  Andrus  of  Mardin,  "and 
a  more  independent  thinker  than  many.  He  had 
made  him  a  place  in  the  village,  so  that  even  the 
young  men  of  the  Jacobite  community  looked  to  him 
as  their  father.  He  was  very  anxious  to  improve 
the  condition  of  his  race,  was  faithful  both  as  a 
preacher  and  as  a  pastor,  and  in  the  latter  capacity 
was  more  especially  active  during  the  past  winter. 
He  was  one  of  the  eight  pupils  received  into  the  first 
class  formed  by  Dr.  Williams  in  Mardin,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1862  (was  then  about  thirty  years  old),  and  re- 
mained three  years  in  the  class,  supplying  the  pulpit 
in  Cutterbul  during  the  winter  months,  where  he 
had  been  preaching  before  he  entered  the  school." 

The  impressions  made  on  Dr.  Clarke,  Foreign 
Secretary  of  the  Board,  by  occurrences  in  1871,  on 
his  way  from  Adana  to  Aintab,  are  significant  of  the 


440     MISSIONS   TO  THE  ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

work  of  grace,  now  in  progress  in  the  region  distin- 
guished hy  the  early  labors  of  the  Apostle  Paul.  His 
route  was  across  the  Cilician  and  Antioch  plains, 
over  the  Amarus  mountains  and  another  range,  and 
for  the  most  part  through  a  region  of  wonderful  fer- 
tility, needing  only  proper  cultivation. 

"  The  journey,"  Dr.  Clarke  writes,  "  was  not  with- 
out some  items  of  missionary  interest,  as  showing 
how  widely  the  truth  is  diflfnsed.  The  first  night  out 
we  encamped  a  little  distance  from  a  village  that 
hears  the  name  of  Missis,  built  on  the  ruins  of  the 
ancient  Mopsuestia  —  a  place  of  some  note  in  the 
early  history  of  the  Church.  As  we  were  setting  up 
our  tent,  two  Armenians  from  the  village  accosted 
us  with  the  question,  — '  Are  you  the  men  that  are 
bringing  light  into  this  dark  land  ?  '  On  being  as- 
sured that  we  w.ere  just  those  very  men,  they  gave 
us  a  hearty  welcome,  and  did  their  best  to  assist  us 
in  every  way,  remaining  till  dark,  and  coming  again 
in  the  early  morning.  This  they  did  as  a  labor  of 
love,  and  to  receive  some  words  of  counsel  and  cheer. 
They  were  Protestants,  but  not  church-members, 
who  had  come  here  for  business — one  from  near 
Antioch,  and  the  other  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Harpoot.  Here,  where  no  preacher  of  the  truth  had 
ever  been  stationed  by  us,  these  men  were  faithful 
to  the  light  they  had,  spending  the  Sabbath  together 
in  studying  the  Scriptures  and  in  prayer,  and  speak- 
ing to  all  who  would  listen  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 


THE  ARMENIANS.  441 

One  of  the  men  had  formerly  been  a  keeper  of  a 
drinking-  shop.  One  day,  while  plying  his  trade,  he 
called  out  to  a  passer-by  to  come  in  and  drink.  The 
reply,  *  I  cannot,  I  am  a  Protestant,'  arrested  his  at- 
tention, and  eventually  led  him  to  give  up  his  wicked 
traffic  for  an  honest  calling. 

"  On  another  day  we  met  a  party  of  laborers  com- 
ing down  into  Cilicia  from  Eastern  Turkey,  whom 
we  at  first  mistook  for  Koords.  But  coming  nearer, 
Mr.  Trowbridge  recognized  them  as  Armenians,  and 
at  once  asked  if  there  were  any  Protestants  among 
them.  '  0  yes,'  cried  several ;  and  in  proof  they 
drew  Testaments  from  their  bosoms.  One  of  them, 
a  leading  Protestant  from  Haboosi,  on  learning  who 
I  was,  at  once  beset  me  to  hurry  on  to  the  dedication 
of  their  new  chui*ch,  that  was  to  come  off  in  a  few 
days.  He,  poor  man,  had  been  obliged  to  come  away, 
but  was  very  anxious  to  have  me  go.  I  was  really 
sorry  I  could  not  do  so,  and  thus  be  a  witness  to 
some  of  the  ripe  fruits  of  the  great  work  in  the  vil- 
lages about  Harpoot.  What  may  not  be  accom- 
plished by  such  a  party  of  Christian  laborers,  going 
into  villages  and  neighborhoods  unreached  by  other 
means  ?  It  is  thus  that  the  good  seed  is  now  scat- 
tered broadcast  over  the  land. 

"  We  had  hoped  to  reach  Hassan-Beyli  for  the 
Sabbath,  but  the  distance  proved  too  great,  and  as 
it  was  three  hours  off  from  the  main  road,  we  had  to 
give  up  a  visit  to  this  mountain  eyrie,  -^  now  a  centre 


442      MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

of  Christian  influence,  a  few  years  ago  a  nest  of 
robbers.  But  they  would  not  let  us  off  so.  Tuesday 
morning',  by  six  o'clock,  we  were  surprised  to  see  a 
half  dozen  of  those  stalwart  men,  who  had  left  their 
mountain  crag's,  three  hours  before,  to  come  down 
and  exchange  Christian  salutations.  As  I  looked  at 
them,  I  could  not  but  wonder  at  the  work  of  grace 
manifest  in  them.  After  words  of  exhortation 
through  an  interpreter,  on  mounting  my  horse  I 
took  them  each  by  the  hand,  while  the  grasp  tight- 
ened and  eyes  flashed  and  filled  at  the  words  — 
*  Christ,  Hallelujah,  Amen.'  " 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

THE  ARMENIANS.  —  EDUCATION. 

1872. 

The  commou  school  is  as  much  a  necessity  in  mis- 
sion fields,  as  it  is  that  the  people  should  common 

schools  a 

be  able  to  read  the  Word  of  God ;  and  it  necessity. 
has  everywhere  been  a  primary  object  of  attention ; 
but  always,  and  more  especially  of  late  years,  with 
the  aim  and  expectation,  that  it  will  speedily  derive 
its  support  from  the  parents  of  the  children. 

Properly  conducted,  the  tendency  of  the  common 
school  is  to  development.  Teachers  are  learning-  all 
the  while ;  new  branches  of  study  are  introduced ; 
there  is  greater  thoroughness  in  the  teaching  and 
discipline;  till  at  length  the  Academy  is  evolved, 
and  perhaps  the  College. 

This  would  be  the  natural  order  of  development, 
were  general  education  the  leading  object  of  mis- 
sionary societies.  But  the  unevangelized  nations 
must  be  evangelized,  and  chiefly  by  their  own  people. 
Consequently  one  of  the  first  efi'orts  is  to  raise  up 
teachers  and  preachers. 

Enough  has  probably  been  said,  in  this  history, 


444   MISSIONS   TO    THE    ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

respecting  the  common  schools.  So,  also,  of  the  Sera- 
The  Bebek  i"af  v  Jit  Bcbelv,  institntccl  in  1840/  and  the 
semimuy.  Qii.]g'  Boai'ding-school  in  the  metropolis, 
instituted  in  1845.^  The  Bebek  Seminary  was  in 
some  respects  the  forerunner  of  "  Robert  Colleg-e." 
But  however  suitable  its  proximity  to  the  capital 
may  have  been,  regarding*  it  as  an  incipient  college, 
the  location  was  not  well  adapted,  on  the  whole, 
for  a  school  to  raise  up  young  men  for  pastoral 
work  in  the  towns  and  villages  of  the  interior. 
Hence  its  discontinuance  in  1862,  aud  the  opening 
of  a  training  Seminary  in  Marsovan,  in  1865.  The 
delay  of  three  years  was  owing  to  peculiar  and  unex- 
pected causes.  The  Girls'  Boarding-school  at  Con- 
stantinople was  also  discontinued  for  similar  reasons, 
and  was  reopened  at  Marsovan  in  1865. 

A  highly  intelligent  Armenian  gentleman  thus 
addressed  Dr.  Hamlin :  "  The  Bebek  Seminary  has 
given  birth  to  influences,  which  have  waked  up  our 
young  men  all  over  the  land ;  and  you  are  regarded 
as  a  public  benefactor,  although  you  can  never  be 
regarded  as  our  religious  guide.  Still,  in  sentiment, 
you  have  —  not  eight  thousand,  but  eight  hundred 
thousand  followers.  We  shall  never  be  called  Prot- 
estants ;  it  is  not  an  Armenian  term ;  but  we  hope 
to  see  the  day  when  the  Armenian  Church  will  be  as 
evangelical  as  yours." 

The  present  Theological  Seminaries  are  at  Har- 

^  See  Chapter  xxxiii.  ^  See  Chapter  xxxiii. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  445 

poot,  Marsovaii,  Marash,  and  Mardiu.  There  are, 
besides  these,  theological  classes  at  Cesarea,  The  existing 

Theological 

Broosa,  Sivas,  Harpoot,  Bitlis,  Erzroom,  and  semimiries. 
Eski  Zag-ra.  The  first  of  the  four  seminaries  above 
named  orig-inated  in  1859,  the  second,  in  1865,  the 
third  in  1868 ;  and  the  fourth,  in  1870.  Like  sim- 
ilar institutions  in  the  United  States,  they  are  in- 
tended to  receive  only  such  as  not  only  give  evidence 
of  piety,  but  are  promising  candidates  for  the  gospel 
ministry.  The  course  of  study  at  Harpoot  illus- 
trates, substantially,  the  education  given,  or  con- 
templated, in  each  of  those  institutions. 

For  the  first  year,  Exegesis,  the  Synoptic  Gos- 
pels and  Pentateuch,  the  Turkish  and  Ancient  Ar- 
menian languages.  Algebra,  Physiology,  Reading, 
Writing,  and  Spelling  Armenian. 

For  the  second  year,  Exegesis,  Isaiah,  Daniel, 
and  Revelation,  Geometry,  Natural  Philosophy,  and 
Astronomy,  Rhetoric  in  Ancient  Armenian,  Evi- 
dences of  Christianity  (Turkish). 

For  the  tldrd  year.  Exegesis,  Acts,  Pauline  Epis- 
tles, except  Romans  and  Hebrews,  Mental  Philos- 
ophy, Moral  Philosophy,  and  Theology. 

For  the  fourth  year.  Exegesis,  Pastoral  Epistles, 
Romans,  Hebrews,  and  Gospel  of  John,  Sermon- 
izing-, Pastoral  Theology,  Church  History,  aud 
Logic. 

Weekly  exercises  in  composition  and  declamation 
through  the  first  three  years ;  aud  lectures  on  Physi- 


446     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

cal  Geography,  Geology,  History,  and  Chronology, 
and  lessons  in  singing,  distributed  through  the 
course  at  convenience. 

The    female    boarding-schools    are    mainly    de- 
The  female     sigued  to  cducatc  tcachcrs,  Bible-readers, 

boarding- 
schools,         and  wives  for  native  teachers  and  pastors. 

They  are  in  Marsovan,  Aintab,  Marash,   Harpoot, 

Mardin,  Bitlis,  Erzroom,  and  Samokov.     The  pupils 

in  the  theological  seminaries  and  classes,  and  in  the 

Tabular  view  fcmalc  boardinff-schools,  as  reported  in  the 

of  the  higher 

schools.        year  1871,  were  as  follows :  — 


Theological 

Theological 

Boarding- 

Seminaries. 

Classes. . 

schools. 

Western  Turkey. 

Marsovan. 

Cesarea. 

Broosa. 

Sivas. 

26 

5 
13 
2 

38 

Central  Turkey. 

Aintab. 
Marash. 

35 

20 

Eastern  Turkey. 

Harpoot. 

17 

251 

34 

Mardin. 

5 

5 

Bitlis. 

9 

20 

Erzroom. 
Total. 

6 

8 

83 

60 

125 

Thus  the  number  in  training  for  the  gospel  min- 
istry, in  1871,  was  one  hundred  and  forty-three,  and 
the  number  in  the  female  boarding-schools  was  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five. 

1  More  properly  called  a  "  Normal  school." 


THE  ARMENIANS.  447 

The  Marsovau  Seminary  coiiiraeuced  with  eight 
pupils,  aud  the  uumber  was  increased  iu  MarsoTan 

Theological 

two  years  to  twenty-four.  Classes  were  semiuary. 
organized  at  the  stations,  to  prepare  candidates 
for  admission  to  the  seminary,  and  to  train  such 
helpers  as  were  not  to  take  the  full  course  of 
study.  The  jjlan  of  instruction  in  the  seminary  has 
recently  been  enlarged  so  as  to  include  the  train- 
ing of  native  agents  for  the  Greek-speaking  races 
of  southwestern  Asia  Minor.  Eight  young  men, 
who  graduated  in  1869,  received  licenses  to  preach 
from  the  "  Central  Evangelical  Union,"  and  were  iu 
great  demand.  Thirteen  were  thus  commissioned  in 
1870,  in  which  year  a  convenient  seminary  building 
was  finished.^ 

Mr.  Wheeler  has  given  a  full  and  interesting  de- 
scription of  the  theological  and  female  ^j^^  ^^^  ^^ 
Seminaries  at  Harpoot,  in  his  valuable  ^°^''^^'««- 
work,  entitled  "  Ten  Years  on  the  Euphrates,"  and 
to  that  the  reader  is  referred.^  Eighteen  pupils 
graduated  iu  1863,  seven  in  1865,  and  eleven  in 
1867 ;  of  whom  thirty-two  became  pastors,  preach- 
ers, or  helpers. 

Theological  classes  were  taught  at  Aintab  and 
Marash,  as  early  as  1860.  It  was  resolved,  ^f^^^^J^^" 
eight   years    afterwards,    in   view   of    the  "'"■^' 

1  See  Chap.  xxiv.  p.  17  ;  Eeport  of  the  Board  for  1870,  p.  21  ;  and 
Missionary  Herald  for  1869,  pp.  87,  122,  257  ;  and  for  1871,  p.  109. 

2  Ten   Years  on  the  Euphrates,  pp.  162-221. 


448      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

greater  number  of  students  at  Marash,  that  the 
Theological  Seminary,  then  about  being  established, 
should  be  at  that  station.  The  examination  of  the 
students  of  this  seminary  in  1869,  drew  together  an 
audience  of  a  thousand  persons.  Thirty-three  stu- 
dents were  here  in  the  following  year,  and  it  was 
necessary  for  the  resident  missionaries  to  give  them- 
selves almost  wholly  to  their  instruction ;  while  the 
work  in  the  city  and  at  the  out-stations  was  com- 
mitted to  the  churches  in  Marash.  That  was  a  year 
of  growth  and  prosperity  to  these  churches ;  sixty- 
six  new  members  being  added  to  them  on  profession 
of  faith.  A  new  class  of  eighteen  members  was  re- 
ceived in  October. 

The  Seminaries  at  Mardin  are  conducted  on  the 
Mardin  Sem-  sauic  priuciplcs  as  thosc  at  Harpoot.  They 
manes.  ^^.^  Comparatively  new,  and  are  designed  to 
reach  the  race  speaking  the  Arabic  language. 

The  training-school  at  Tocat  was  broken  up  by  the 
Training-       firc,  which  cousumcd  the  mission  premises 

school  at 

Tocat.  in  1859. 

A  very  valuable  high  school  was  taught  for  some 
High  school  years  at  Aintab,  by  Mr.  Alexan  ;  who  was 
at  Aintab.  transferred  to  Marash,  in  1864,  as  assistant 
teacher  in  the  new  Theological  Seminary. 

Thirty- five  pupils  attended  the  female  Seminary  at 
Marsovan      Marsovau  iu  1869,  and  many  of  them  were 

female  sem- 

inary.  hopcfully  couvcrtcd.     lu  1870  there  were 

forty  pupils. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  449 

A  majority  of  the  young  men  in  the  Seminary  at 

Harpoot  were  married,  and  one  main  de-  Harpoot fe- 
male semi- 
sign  of  the  female  seminary  at  that  station  nary. 

was  the  education  of  their  wives.  These  kept  house 
for  their  husbands,  and  attended  school  about  seven 
hours  a  day,  five  days  of  the  week.  Their  younger 
children  were  committed  to  the  care  of  a  woman 
employed  for  the  purpose,  while  the  older  ones  went 
to  one  of  the  city  schools.  Of  the  uinety-four  con- 
nected with  the  seminary  previous  to  1867,  forty-one 
were  hopefully  converted  while  in  it.  Their  chief 
text-book  was  the  Bible ;  and  some  of  them,  besides 
learning  to  read  intelligently,  and  to  write,  keep 
accounts,  and  know  something  of  geography  and 
astronomy,  became  intelligent  students  and  ex- 
pounders of  the  Bible,  and,  with  hearts  warm  with 
love  to  Christ,  proved  themselves  wise  and  efficient 
in  winning  souls  to  Him.^  This  institution  has  had 
several  valuable  teachers  from  the  United  States, 
prominent  among  whom  was  Miss  Maria  A.  West. 

The  Female  Boarding-school  at  Aintab  was  com- 
menced under  the  care  of  Miss  Proctor  in  ^^^^^^ 
1861,  with  eight  pupils.     The  number  was  ^ZT^^ 
increased  to  fourteen  in  1864,  and  to  twen-     *" 
ty-five  in  1867,  of  whom  ten  gave  evidence  of  piety. 
It  is  one  of  the  best  schools  in  Turkey. 

Mrs.  Coffiug's  labors  among  the  women  of  Marash, 
in  1867,  and  in  the  four  schools  of  which  she  had 

1  Ten  Years  on  the  Euphrates,  p.  189. 


450     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

the  oversight,  were  of  great  value.  In  1868,  she 
Marashfe-      had  charge  of  a  girls'  high  school,  which 

male  high 

Bchooi.  was  an  institution  of  much  promise.  The 
pupils  were  thirty-eight,  six  of  whom  were  wives  of 
students  in  the  Theological  Seminary.  Of  the 
hundred  girls  who  had  been  in  this  school  from  the 
beginning,  twenty-one  were  hopefully  converted  while 
in  the  school.  In  1872,  a  boarding  department  was 
added  for  the  benefit  of  girls  from  the  out-stations. 

THE   ROBERT   COLLEGE. 

This  college  has  no  direct  connection  with  the 
American  Board,  nor  with  the  mission  as  such  ;  yet 
our  history  would  be  incomplete  without  some  ac- 
count of  it. 

The  college  may  be  said  to  have  grown  out  of  the 

efforts  of  Dr.  Hamlin  to  furnish  employ- 
its  origin. 

ment    to     Protestant    Armenians,    whose 

evangelical  principles  had  thrown  them  out  of  busi- 
ness. For  this  end  a  flour  mill  and  bakery  were 
established  with  unlooked  for  success ;  and  when 
the  Crimean  war  broke  out,  very  large  quantities  of 
bread  were  furnished  by  this  Protestant  bakery  to 
the  English  troops  and  hospitals  at  Constantinople. 
Christopher  R.  Robert,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  was 
then  travelling  in  the  East,  and  his  attention  was 
attracted  to  a  large  boat  load  of  excellent  bread  en 
route  from  the  bakery  to  the  English  camp.  This 
led  to  further  inquiries,  and  to  an  acquaintance  and 


THE  ARMENIANS.  451 

peruiaiieut  friendship  between  himself  and  Dr.  Ham- 
lin. 

The  project  of  a  college  was  first  suggested  by  the 
sons  of  Dr.  Dwight,  one  of  the  most  honored  foun- 
ders of  the  Armenian  mission  ;  and  a  meeting  for 
consultation,  called  by  them,  was  held  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  Robert  in  New  York,  in  October,  1857.  Sev- 
eral such  meetings  were  held,  but  no  agreement  was 
reached  as  to  the  principles  which  should  govern  the 
College. 

Mr.  Robert,  finding  that  nothing  was  to  be  done, 
then  proposed  to  Dr.  Hamlin  to  take  up  the  work  in 
cooperation  with  himself;  which,  after  consulting 
his  brethren  and  the  officers  of  the  American  Board, 
he  decided  to  do.  I  now  quote  from  a  statement 
kindly  furnished  me  by  Dr.  Hamlin. 

"  While  all  agreed  in  the  necessity  of  a  higher 
education,  there  were  various  views  in  re-  obstacles  to 
gard  to  the  proposed  College.  Some  re-  ^«°^«'^°'^«- 
garded  these  three  obstacles  as  insuperable.  (1)  The 
variety  of  races,  —  Turkish,  Armenian,  Greek,  and 
Slavic,  —  which  have  no  common  sympathies,  and 
would  not  unite  in  one  institution.  (2)  Variety  of 
religious  faith,  —  Islamism,  Romanism,  the  Oriental 
Orthodox,  and  Armenian  Churches,  —  which  could 
never  agree  in  one  institution.  (3)  Variety  of  lan- 
guage,—  Greek,  Armenian,  Turkish,  and  Slavonic,— 
each  of  which  would  seek  preeminence. 

"  It  was  decided,  however,  to  make  the  experiment. 


452     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

The  College  was  to  be  a  Christian  institution.  The 
To  be  a         Bible  was  to  be  read,  and  prayer  oflEered, 

Christian  in- 
stitution,      morning-  and  evening,  at  which  all  should 

be  present.  There  would  be  Christian  worship  and 
Bible  teaching  on  the  Sabbath,  but  freedom  of  con- 
science would  be  sacredly  regarded. 

"  The  American  civil  war,  breaking  out  in  1861 
The  prevented  any  attempt  to  obtain  an  endow- 

founder.  ^^^^^^  j^  ^j^^  United  States,  and  Mr.  Robert, 
who  had  already  advanced  $10,000  for  the  purchase 
of  a  site,  then  deposited  $30,000  in  the  hands  of 
trustees,  in  order  to  commence  the  work. 

"  The  Turkish  Government,  at  the  instigation  of 
Jesuit  and  French  diplomac)%  prevented  the  College 
from  using  the  beautiful  site  it  had  purchased,  al- 
though official  leave  to  build^ there  had  been  obtained 
from  the  department  of  Public  Instruction.  After 
much  delay,  expense,  and  fruitless  effort,  the  College 
was  opened  in  the  building  belonging  to  the  Ameri- 
can Board,  and  formerly  known  as  the  Bebek  Sem- 
inary. It  was  called  '  Robert  College ; '  though 
without  Mr.  Robert's  knowledge,  because  the  name, 
having  no  special  significance  to  the  people  there, 
would  excite  no  local  prejudice. 

"  The  College,  thus  founded  in  1863,  slowly  but 
Fully  estab-  stcadily  gained  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
^^^'  raunities   around   it.     During   the  fourth 

year  of  its  existence,  the  building  was  filled  with 
students,  and  was  considerably  enlarged.     On  the 


THE  ARMENIANS. 


453 


fourth  of  July,  1869,  the  corner-stone  of  a  new  and 
large  building  was  laid  on  the  purchased  site,  leave 
having  been  obtained  after  seven  years'  effort.  The 
new  building,  capable  of  receiving  two  hundred  and 
fifty  students,  was  entered,  and  the  college  opened 
publicly,  September  15th,  1871.  It  has  so  rapidly 
filled  with  students,  that  the  Trustees  have  resolved 


Robert  College. 


to  raise  an  endowment,  and  erect  another  still  larger 

building,  confident  that  it  also  will  soon  be  filled. 

"  All   the    supposed   obstacles   have   disappeared. 

There  are  seventeen  nationalities  and  six  how  ob- 
stacles were 
religions  represented  in  the  College,  and  surmounted. 

there   are   no   peculiar   difficulties   of  government. 

Two  forces  contribute  mainly  to  unify  the  whole. 


454  MISSIONS   TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

(1)  All  are  subject  to  the  daily  influence  of  Christian 
instruction.  (2)  All  study  the  English  language  in 
the  preparatory  department,  and  the  College  course 
is  wholly  in  that  language. 

"  Another  feature  of  the  college  should  be  noticed. 
The  College    It  is  sclf-supportiug.     It  was  designed  to 

self-support-  i  i  o  o 

ing-  offer  a  sound  Christian  education  to  those 

who  would  pay  for  it.  Two  hundred  dollars  in  gold 
are  paid  by  every  student  for  board  and  tuition  forty 
weeks  in  the  year.  This  is  more  for  Turkey,  than 
twice  that  sum  would  be  in  the  United  States. 

"  Mr.  Robert  has  given  nearly  $175,000  for  this 
Gifts  by  the  institution,  or  more  than  fivefold  what  he 
founder.        originally  contemplated. 

"  Nothing  but  the  very  highest  education  that  can 
The  demana  -  bc  attaiucd,  will  now  satisfy  the  Turkish 

for  Liberal  ,  _  .  „  ,  „  „ 

education,  commuuity.  Jesuit  colleges  have  fallen 
into  disrepute.  They  cannot  meet  this  demand 
fairly,  and  satisfy  it.  New  ideas  of  religious  freedom 
pervade  these  communities ;  the  old  bonds  are 
broken,  and  the  college  that  gives  the  best  culture, 
moral  and  mental,  will  be  the  most  patronized  by  all. 
Missionary  Societies  cannot  properly  prosecute  the 
work  in  this  highest  department  of  education.  And 
yet  foreign  missions  would  be  a  failure  if  their  work 
should  stop  in  those  classes  where  it  usually  begins. 
It  must  pervade  and  control  the  intelligence  and 
enterprise  of  the  land,  and  it  cannot  culminate  in 
this  result  without  the  Christian  College,  and  ulti- 
mately the  Christian  University." 


THE  ARMENIANS.  455 

PROPOSED   COLLEGE   IN   THE    INTEEIOE. 

As  oue  result  of  the  establishment  of  "  Robert 
Colleg-e "  at  Constantinople,  a  desire  was  awakened 
among  the  Protestants  of  Central  Turkey  for  a  sim- 
ilar institution,  though  ou  a  less  extended  scale,  and 
somewhat  differently  constituted ;  to  be  established 
either  at  Aintab,  or  Marash.  Both  places  were 
anxious  for  the  location,  and  set  forth  their  claims 
with  much  ability,  but  the  decision  inclined  in  favor 
of  Aintab.  The  subscriptions  pledged  by  the  people 
of  that  city,  on  condition  of  securing  the  college, 
were  regarded  by  Dr.  Schneider  as  equivalent  to 
$60,000  of  American  money,  or  more  than  twenty 
dollars  for  each  church-member.  Nor  were  the 
offerings  at  Marash  less  liberal,  in  proportion  to 
their  means. 

The  idea  appears  to  have  had  its  origin  with  the 
people  of  Marash;  who  state  that  their  h,,^  the  idea 
own  condition,  the  number  and  power  of  ""^inated. 
their  enemies,  and  the  baneful  influences  of  infidelity 
among  them,  made  them  feel  that  the  standard  of 
education  in  the  Theological  Seminary  ought  to  be 
so  raised  as  to  meet  the  exigency.  The  failure  of 
this  proposal  suggested  the  college ;  and  the  plan 
of  one,  elaborated  by  a  committee,  was  brought  be- 
fore the  "  Union."  By  that  time,  however,  the 
Protestants  of  Aintab  had  become  fully  awake  to  the 
importance  of  the  measure,  and  the  claims  of  the 


456      MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

two  cities  were  so  earnestly  pressed,  that  the  Union 
declined  deciding-  between  them,  and  referred  the 
decision  to  the  Prudential  Committee  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board. 

The  very  able  pleas  by  the  Protestants  of  the  two 
cities  drawn  up  in  the  spring  of  1872,  are  before  me, 
in  the  English  language.  The  Aintab  document 
opens  with  an  interesting  statement  of  their  past 
progress  in  the  matter  of  education.  "We  well  re- 
member," they  say, "  what  our  condition  was,  twenty- 
interesting     five  or  thirty  years  ago.     We  had  then  not 

statement 

from  Aintab.  evcu  a  thought  about  the  necessity  or  ad- 
vantages of  education.  A  population  of  ten  thou- 
sand Armenians  was  content  with  a  single  common 
school,  where  only  reading  and  writing  were  taught. 
When,  however,  through  the  agency  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board,  the  Bible  was  translated  into  our  modern 
language,  it  soon  changed  our  opinions  as  to  the  im- 
portance of  education,  we  can  hardly  explain  how. 
Soon,  the  evangelical  Armenians,  not  to  speak  of 
members  of  the  Old  Church,  were  not  content  with 
even  three  or  four  schools,  nor  were  they  satisfied 
with  educating  their  sons,  but  began  to  plan  for  the 
education  of  their  daughters.  We  discovered  that 
mere  reading  and  writing  were  not  enough,  and  saw 
plainly  the  necessity  of  a  higher  grade  of  studies. 
Whereas  once,  we  were  hardly  willing  to  send  our 
children  to  schools  where  all  the  expense  was  borne 
by  the  missiauaries,  we  were  now  anxious  to  open 


THE  ARMENIANS.  457 

schools  of  a  still  higher  character,  and  support  them 
ourselves.  We  now  realized,  under  the  light  of 
God's  Word,  that  if  men  are  to  be  good  Christians, 
good  fathers  and  mothers,  and  useful  members  of 
society,  they  must  be  educated.  In  this  respect,  our 
desires  have  been  greatly  strengthened  by  watching 
in  our  churches  the  constantly  increasing  demand 
for  a  stronger  class  of  preachers  and  teachers.  All 
the  churches  within  the  bounds  of  the  Union  are 
convinced  of  the  necessity  of  a  more  thoroughly  ed- 
ucated ministry.  Hence  the  desire  for  a  college  in 
this  section  of  the  country." 

The  decision  was  in  favor  of  Aintab  in  view  of  its 
greater  financial  ability,  its  centrality,  its  to be  located 
comparative  healthfulness,  the  abundance  **'*^"'**^- 
of  good  building  materials,  the  lower  price  of  skilled 
labor,  the  prospective  railway  communication  be- 
tween the  coast  and  the  interior,  the  proper  distri- 
bution of  educational  advantages  (the  Theological 
Seminary  being  already  at  Marash),  and  the  interest 
felt  by  all  classes  at  Aintab,  including  the  Old  Ar- 
menians and  the  Moslems. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

THE   ARMENIAIJS.      THE   PRESENT   CONDITION. 

1872. 

It  seems  often  to  be  required  of  missions,  though 
not  properly,  that  they  shall  exert  a  vastly  greater 
Unreason-  reforming  influence  on  unevangelized  coun- 
on  fore^'''^^  tries,  than  the  Gospel  has  yet  done  in  Chris- 
missions.  ^.^^^  lauds.  Wheu  we  speak  of  "  the  con- 
version of  the  world,"  we  are  generally  understood 
as  meaning  the  introduction  of  the  "  Millennium." 
But  what  we  refer  to  is  not  the  millennial  state,  but 
such  a  diffusion  of  gospel  agencies  and  influences 
through  the  unevangelized  world,  as  we  see  in  the 
most  favored  Christian  communities. 

This  is  all  that  can  reasonably  be  expected  from 
missionary  efforts.  The  Millenium,  whether  it  be 
near  or  remote,  doubtless  implies  such  a  previous 
How  the  Mil-  extension  of  gospel  agencies  as  we  are  now 
madi"isi-  attempting,  but  will  be  the  actual  result  of 
a  universal  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  such 
as  we  are  taught  to  expect  wheu  the  time  comes  for 
the  ultimate  triumphs  of  the  Christian  dispensation. 

The    question    naturally   arises,   in    closing    this 


THE  ARMENIANS.  459 

History,  how  fiir  progress  has  been  made  in  evangel- 
izing Turkey,  or  in  preparing  the  way  for  its  EvangeUzmg 
future  evangelization.  From  the  nature  P'^^^ress. 
of  the  case,  there  can  be  only  an  approximation  to- 
wards an  exact  reply ;  and  perhaps  none  can  be  given 
more  satisfactory,  than  is  furnished  by  the  narrative 
already  recorded  in  these  pages.  Yet  a  brief  notice 
of  some  of  the  more  important  facts,  may  reason- 
ably be  expected  here. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  that  some  of  the  first 
facts  that  will  be  mentioned  are  regarded  as  direct 
results  of  missionary  effort,  or  as  indications  of  evan- 
gelizing progress ;  but  even  these  mark  a  progress  in 
the  condition  of  society,  which  is  very  cheering,  and 
full  of  promise  with  reference  to  future  efforts  for 
the  introduction  and  establishment  of  a  true  and 
pure  religion ;  while  others  noticed  have  a  more  di- 
rect and  full  connection  with  the  missionary  work. 

Where  there  has  been  intellectual  and  social  prog- 
ress on  a  large  scale,  we  naturally  look  for  changes  in 
material  improvements.  Turning,  first  of  iisofTuikey. 
all,  to  the  great  metropolis.  Dr.  Wood  testifies  to 
such  improvements  as  these :  "  The  streets  are 
named,  and  doors  designated  by  numbers.  Scaven- 
ger carts  are  supplanting  the  dogs.  The  terrible 
conflagrations  have  secured  broad  avenues,  and 
handsome  stone  and  brick  structures,  in  place  of 
mean  wooden  buildings,  on  streets  so  narrow  that 
the   sun  could  hardly  enter  them.     Spacious  flag- 


460     MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

stone  sidewalks  are  taking  the  place  of  the  rough 
pavements  of  horrible  memory,  and  macadamized 
roadbeds  help  one  to  climb  the  steep  hill-sides  of 
Constantinople.  *  Tramways'  are  built  or  building, 
a  boon  of  inexpressible  value  to  the  aged  and  feeble, 
and  a  thousand  dwellings  have  been  demolished  for 
the  track  of  the  Belgrade  and  Vienna  Railroad,  en- 
tering at  the  Seven  Towers,  and  carried  along  the 
Marmora,  and  around  the  Seraglio  Point,  to  its 
terminus  on  the  Golden  Horn.  The  demolition  of 
much  of  the  sea-wall  to  make  way  for  it  and  furnish 
materials  for  embankments,  is  a  suggestive  symbol 
of  the  social  and  religious  reconstruction,  which  is 
tearing  up  old  foundations,  aud  using  the  labors  of 
ages  past  for  that  which  is  to  be." 

Dr.  Wood  next  instances  the  significant  tele- 
graph lines,  running  to  all  points  of  the  compass, 
of  which  he  counted  twelve  on  one  side  of  a  street, 
and  four  on  the  other.  "  The  spectacle  of  small 
craft  on  the  waters,  sea-going  steamers  of  the  larg- 
est class,  smaller  passenger-boats  for  the  Bosphorus 
and  ports  on  the  Marmora,  and  the  magnificent 
iron-clads  anchored  in  front  of  the  Sultan's  palaces, 
impresses  both  residents  and  strangers  with  a  vivid 
sense  of  the  greatness,  wealth,  and  power,  which,  in 
spite  of  mismanagement,  corruption,  misrule,  and 
all  the  elements  of  weakness  and  decline  in  the 
country,  are  here  concentrated." 

"Costumes,"  he  says,  "are  changing,  and  customs 


THE  ARMENIANS.  461 

and  ideas  chaug-e  with  them.  Even  Turkish  women 
are  adopting  Frank  articles  of  dress,  worn  beneath 
the  external  covering",  and  go  about  tottering  on 
high-heeled  shoes  of  latest  Parisian  style ;  and  Ar- 
menian women  appear  in  public  with  unveiled  faces, 
attired  like  ladies  of  Europe.  Thirteen  newspapers 
—  three  of  them  dailies,  three  tri-weeklies,  and  seven 
weeklies  (one  of  which  issues  a  daily  bulletin),  for 
Armenians  alone,  at  the  capital  —  attest  a  new 
intellectual  life,  by  the  fact  of  their  existence,  and 
by  the  freedom  of  their  discussions. 

**  Schools  for  girls  are  multiplying;  even  a  normal 
school  for  Turkish  girls  has  been  established  under 
government  patronage  ;  but  a  still  greater  zeal  is 
displayed  for  the  education  of  boys.  The  notions  of 
the  people  concerning  education  are,  indeed,  very 
faulty,  and  much  of  the  instruction  given  is  poor 
enough  in  quality ;  but  the  waking  up  on  the  sub- 
ject heralds  a  brighter  day  in  the  future.  That  this 
is  far  greater  among  the  Christian  populations,  than 
in  the  Mohammedan  and  Jewish,  and  that  the 
former  are  gaining  more  and  more  upon  the  latter 
in  the  possession  of  wealth,  is  suggestive  of  com- 
ing events,  of  the  highest  interest  and  importance." 

Dr.  Clarke,  Foreign  Secretary  of  the  Board,  writ- 
ing in  the  same  year  (1871),  after  his  visit  ^^^^^^^^^ 
to  the  East,  mentions  the  following  indica-  p"""^^^*- 
tions  of  progress  :  "  Hundreds  of  miles  of  railway, 
begun  and  under  contract ;   telegraphic  communi- 


462     MISSIONS  TO    THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

cation  between  the  principal  towns;  postal  arrange- 
ments for  the  conveyance  of  money,  as  well  as  let- 
ters, established  within  a  few  years  between  many 
places ;  police  regulations,  securing  protection  to 
life  and  property  as  never  before ;  the  suppression 
of  robber-hordes,  which  had  infested  different  sec- 
tions; and  the  beginning  of  a  newspaper  press. 
The  public  mind  in  the  great  centres  is  waking  up 
to  what  is  going  on  in  the  outside  world.  The  war 
in  our  own  country,  by  its  derangement  of  com- 
merce, led  to  much  inquiry  ;  and  the  later  conflicts 
in  Europe  have  excited  a  lively  interest  in  many 
minds.  And  not  the  least  significant  matter  is  the 
change  of  sentiment  in  reference  to  France  and 
French  influence.  Already  is  it  said  by  native  mer- 
chants, that  their  children  must  learn  English,  or 
German,  instead  of  French ;  and  the  power  of 
Romanism,  upheld  so  long  by  French  consuls,  is 
sensibly  weakened.  And  Protestantism  is  quietly 
doing  its  work  of  enlightenment,  —  directly,  in 
thousands  of  minds,  and  indirectly,  in  thousands 
more." 

Mr.  Adams,  of  Ad  an  a,  writing  a  year  earlier. 
Influence  of  affirms  that  the  Christian  populations  are 
tant  faith,  far  morc  ready  to  hear  and  read  the  Gospel 
than  is  commonly  supposed,  and  that  the  Protestant 
faith  has  found  its  way  into  the  remotest  corners  of 
the  land.  He  says,  we  should  not  measure  the  suc- 
cess of  missions  by  "  tabular  views  "  alone,  for  it 


THE  ARMENIANS.  463 

often  happens  that  a  missionary's  strongest  grounds 
of  hope  are  quite  outside  of  the  largest  array  of 
figures.  "  As  I  write  this,"  he  adds,  "  a  statement 
of  Hagop  Effendi  occurs  to  me.  He  said  :  "  I  have 
travelled  a  great  deal  among  the  Protestants  of 
Syria  and  Turkey,  and  the  strongest  impression  I 
have  does  not  arise  from  the  schools,  books,  or 
churches,  as  pledges  that  Protestantism  is  to  be  a 
success  in  Turkey,  but  from  the  prodigious  extent  to 
which  the  country  at  large  is  leavened  by  Protestant 
truth.  The  grandest  results  of  your  labors  are  not 
apparent." 

Another  testimony  is  by  Mr.  Leonard,  of  Marso- 
van,  under  date  of  January,  1871.  "  Evi-  Reforj^in 
dence,"  he  says,  "  of  a  gradual  reform  in  '""''^'p- 
the  Oriental  churches,  especially  the  Armenian 
Church,  chiefly  as  the  result  of  evangelical  labors, 
crops  out  in  almost  every  city.  Consecrated  pictures 
leave  church  walls  for  the  garret ;  silver  crosses  go 
into  the  refining  pot ;  auricular  confession  is  neg- 
lected ;  many  superstitious  ceremonies  and  foolish 
restrictions,  imposed  by  the  priesthood,  are  regarded 
only  as  a  curious  relic  of  the  past.  We  note,  also, 
a  growing  friendliness  towards  Protestants,  and 
occasionally  very  sensible  efibrts,  in  emulation  of 
them,  to  educate  the  people." 

Mr.  Leonard  doubtless  had  a  special  reference  to 
the  Armenian  Bishop  of  Aniasia,  who,  having  secured 
a  majority  of  the  people  in   his  favor,  swept  two 


464      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

churches  of  their  gold  and  silver  images,  crosses, 
and  vestments,  and  appropriated  the  avails  to  the 
erection  of  school-houses  and  the  support  of  teachers. 
The  minority  appealed  to  the  Patriarch  at  Constan- 
tinople ;  but  he  is  known  to  have  been  in  sympathy 
with  the  reforming  party  in  the  church  before  his 
election,  while  at  Van  and  Moosh,  and  is  said  to 
have  sanctioned  the  whole  proceeding,  and  to  have 
followed  his  sanction  with  an  exhortation  to  preach 
the  Gospel.^ 

Another  testimony  is  from  Mr.  Wheeler,  of  Har- 
The mission-  poot,  writtcu  iu  April  of  the  same  year: 
arieshopefui.  « Hcuccforth  wc  shall  need  less  money, 
and  more  prayer ;  for  this  finishing  of  the  work  is, 
in  some  respects,  even  more  perilous  than  was  its 
beginning.  The  people  expect  and  demand  a  thou- 
sand things,  which  they  cannot  now  have;  and 
sometimes  the  more  earnest  ones  are  inclined  to 
take  the  missionaries  by  the  throat,  with  a  '  Pay  us 
that  ye  owe  !  '  We  are  encouraged  by  the  reflection 
that  such  experiences  necessarily  enter  into  such  a 
work  of  awakening  and  reform,  as  is  here  going  on." 

The  testimony  of  Hagop  Effendi,  the  Civil  Head 
The  degree  ®^  ^^^  Protcstauts  of  Turkcy,  should  also 
of  progress.  ^^  adduccd.  He  says:  "The  fact  that 
eighty-five  per  cent,  of  the  adults  in  the  Protestant 
community  can  read,  speaks  greatly  in  favor  of  its 
members.     Any  one  acquainted  with  the  social  con- 

1  Reprnt  of  the  Board  for  1871,  p.  27. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  465 

dition  and  religious  ideas  of  the  Orient,  who  will  take 
paius  to  compare  thera  with  the  liberal  institutions 
now  introduced,  can  readily  imagine  the  state  of 
society  that  must  necessarily  follow  such  a  change. 
As  yet,  the  people  do  not  possess  the  intellectual 
and  moral  elements  necessary  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  liberal  institutions  of  Protestantism  inde- 
pendent of  foreign  aid."  "  Those,"  he  adds,  "who 
have  become  Protestant  in  principle,  far  exceed  in 
number  the  registered  Protestants.  The  indirect 
influence  of  Protestantism  has  been  greater  and 
healthier  than  is  apparent."  He  then  instances  the 
strictly  sober  habits  of  the  Protestants,  among  whom 
the  use  of  strong  drink  is  very  rare,  and  habitual 
drunkenness  is  hardly  known.  And  he  was  every- 
where gratified  to  find,  throughout  the  empire,  a 
great  improvement  in  domestic  relations,  as  com- 
pared with  the  condition  of  families  before  they  be- 
came Protestants. 

The  districts  of  Harpoot,  Aintab,  and  Marash  are 
probably  more  advanced  in  the  matter  of  mugtrations 
self-governing,  self-supporting,  evangelical  "^p^^^s^^^*- 
churches,  than  any  other  considerable  portions  of 
the  field  in  Western  Asia.  The  Rev.  Herman  N. 
Barnum,  of  the  Harpoot  station,  while  in  the  United 
States,  drew  up,  at  my  request,  a  statement  of  some 
of  the  more  important  results  of  missionary  labor  in 
his  own  district,  which  may  be  regarded  as  illustra- 


466     MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

tive  of  the  results  of  missionary  labor  in  other  dis- 
tricts. 

He  states  these  as  rules,  —  that  no  church  is  to 
The  Harpoot  ^^  orgauizcd  without  a  native  pastor ;  that 
churches.  ^^  church  is  to  receive  aid  from  the  mis- 
sion for  more  than  one  half  the  salary  of  the  pastor, 
and  none  for  more  than  five  years.  Eighteen 
churches  have  been  formed  in  the  district,  with  six 
hundred  and  fifty  members,  and  most  of  them  on 
this  plan.  The  church  at  Harpoot  was  self-support- 
ing from  the  outset.  Wherever  a  fully  organized 
and  self-supporting  church  existed,  the  peculiar 
work  of  the  missionaries  was  regarded  as  completed 
in  that  place;  the  church  and  pastor,  rather  than 
the  missionaries,  being  henceforth  held  responsible 
for  the  evangelization  of  the  surrounding  commu- 
nity. The  missionaries  aid,  if  necessary,  by  their 
counsel  and  in  other  ways,  but  what  they  do  is 
through  the  church.  His  response  as  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  churches,  which  I  necessarily  abridge,  is 
deemed  applicable,  substantially,  to  the  seventy-four 
churches  among  the  Armenians.     He  says :  — 

"  1.  They  are  becoming  intelligent.  Making  the 
Bible  a  study,  they  become  established  in  Christian 
doctrine. 

"  2.  Church  discipline  is  better  maintained  than 
it  is  in  American  churches.  Their  '  watch  and  care ' 
are  delightful  to  witness.    Many  of  these  Christians 


THE  ARMENIANS.  467 

came  out  of  the  grossest  corruption,  but  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  church  is  a  shield  and  a  support. 

"  3.  They  are  self-denying.  The  support  of  their 
own  institutions,  including  the  building  of  their 
school-houses  and  houses  of  worship,  with  very  little 
missionary  aid,  necessitates  the  sacrifice  of  comforts 
which  they  cheerfully  forego.  Experience  in  Turkey 
has  abundantly  proved,  that  dependent  churches  are 
nearly  worthless  for  evangelizing  agencies.  When 
the  institutions  of  the  Gospel  are  supported  for 
them,  they  regard  the  work  of  extending  it  as  be- 
longing especially  to  the  missionaries ;  and  hence, 
however  lavish  the  expenditure,  they  often  complain 
that  money  is  not  more  freely  spent,  and  the  work 
prosecuted  on  a  grander  scale.  Complaints  against 
missionaries  come  chiefly  from  churches  doing  little 
for  themselves.  On  the  other  hand,  self-supporting 
churches  regard  the  work  of  propagating  the  Gospel 
as  their  own,  and  whatever  is  given  them,  they 
gratefully  receive  as  aid  in  doing  their  own  work. 

"4.  These  churches  resemble  the  primitive 
churches  in  their  disposition  to  work  for  others. 
They  are  imbued  with  a  spirit  of  labor.  They  go 
from  house  to  house,  reading  and  preaching  the 
word.  This  is  the  theme  in  the  shop,  the  field,  and 
by  the  way-side. 

"The  chief  source  of  discomfort  is  in  the  Ar- 
menian character  itself,  in  which  there  is  a  lack  of 
stability,  and  a  want  of  perseverance.     But  there  is 


468      MISSIONS  TO  THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

ground  for  hope,  that  even  this  national  trait  may 
be  overcome  by  the  power  of  the  Gospel. 

"  In  Harpoot  and  its  seventy  out-stations  is  a 
TheHarpoot  Pi'otestaut  couimunity  of  about  five  thou- 
commumty.  ^^^^  souls,  characterized  by  a  remarkable 
reformation  in  the  outward  life.  Many  of  them  are 
doubtless  Christians,  who,  in  the  great  care  which 
the  churches  use  in  receiving  members  to  their  fel- 
lowship, are  in  a  certain  sense  on  probation.  The 
Protestant  name  has  become  a  synonym  for  in- 
tegrity and  uprightness. 

"  The  extent,  to  which  the  Gospel  has  affected  the 
communities  not  Protestant,  cannot  be  appreciated 
by  one  not  in  actual  contact  with  them.  It  mani- 
fests itself  partly  in  the  weakened  power  of  super- 
stition, the  multiplication  of  schools,  the  number 
of  adults  who  have  learned  to  read,  the  increase  in 
general  intelligence  and  knowledge  of  the  truth,  the 
decrease  of  intemperance  and  vice,  the  promotion  of 
enterprise  and  good  order ;  and,  in  short,  the  begin- 
nings of  a  civilization,  that  has  a  Christian  aspect. 
There  have  been  sold  at  Harpoot  about  four  thou- 
sand copies  of  the  Bible,  and  twenty  thousand  por- 
tions of  the  same,  with  nearly  fifty-five  thousand 
volumes  of  other  books,  religious  and  educational, 
from  the  mission  press.  Large  numbers  of  these 
have  gone  into  the  hands  of  the  unevangelized,  and 
are  silently  exerting  an  influence.  This  class  of 
persons  is  always  represented  in  our  congregations. 


THE  ARMENIANS.  469 

They  hear  the  truth  cliscussed  everywhere,  and  thou- 
sands of  them  have  accepted  it  intellectually,  who 
have  not  yet  separated  themselves  from  their  own 
religious  communities.  All  this  suggests  the  possi- 
bility of  a  rapid  development,  when  the  Spirit  shall 
be  poured  out  from  on  high. 

"Were  the  Harpoot  field  limited  to  the  district 
seventy  miles  square,  of  which  the  city  is  the  centre, 
it  might  now  he  safely  left,  with  its  seminaries  and 
hundreds  of  villages,  to  the  eleven  churches  and  the 
native  laborers  found  there,  with  an  annual  grant, 
for  a  few  years,  from  the  American  Board.  As  it  is, 
there  is  good  hope  that,  by  the  blessing  of  God  on 
the  means  in  use,  the  whole  district,  embracing 
more  than  twenty  thousand  square  miles  and  half  a 
million  of  souls,  may,  in  a  few  years,  be  relinquished 
as  a  missionary  field." 

Some  estimate  may  be  formed  of  the  influence 
exerted  by  the  press,  when  it  is  considered  Q^^erai 
that  more  than  ten  and  a  half  millions  of  «**'«'^«^*«- 
pages  were  issued,  in  the  single  year  1870,  in  the 
Armenian,  Armeno-Turkish,  Grseco-Turkish,  and 
Bulgarian  languages  ;  and  that  nearly  three  hundred 
millions  of  pages  have  been  issued  by  these  missions 
since  they  began  their  operations.  The  number  of 
missionaries  among  the  Armenians,  in  1870,  was 
forty,  and  of  female  assistant  missionaries  sixty. 

When  the  missionaries  entered  Turkey,  religion 
was  administered  wholly  by  the  hierarchy,  and  had 


470     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

everywhere  a  stereotype  form.  Death  was  the  pen- 
alty for  heresy  among  the  Moslems ;  and  it  was 
scarcely  less  in  the  prevailing  sentiment  of  the  nom- 
inal Christian  sects.  The  history  relates  how  far 
this  obstacle  existed,  and  how  far  it  has  been  over- 
come. Whatever  be  true  as  regards  the  ecclesiastics, 
the  people  have  now  accepted,  in  some  good  degree, 
the  principle  of  religious  freedom,  and  so  has  the 
government  of  the  Sultan. 

Before  the  institution  of  Protestant  missions,  the 
school-books  among  the  Turks,  Armenians,  and 
Greeks  were  in  the  ancient  languages,  and  the 
schools  were  consequently  of  little  practical  value. 
One  of  the  first  things  done  by  the  missionaries  was 
the  publication  of  school-books  in  the  languages 
spoken  by  the  people ;  and  this  simple  movement 
took  wonderfully  with  both  Christians  and  Moslems, 
and  has  wrought  a  mighty  revolution  in  the  empire. 

The  principle  of  self-support  in  native  churches 
appears  now  to  be  the  well-defined  policy  of  all  the 
missions  in  Turkey,  to  be  realized  in  practice  at  the 
earliest  possible  day.  In  some  of  the  missionary  dis- 
tricts, the  forming  of  the  church  and  the  ordination 
of  the  pastor  are  expected  to  occur  at  the  same  time ; 
and  when  aid  is  given  it  is  only  for  a  limited  series 
of  years ;  and  the  schools,  and  all  other  necessary 
agencies,  are  to  be  transferred  at  the  earliest  moment 
from  the  mission  to  the  people  themselves.  As  a 
general  rule,  the  missionaries  do  not  now  take  the 


THE  ARMENIANS.  471 

lend  in  the  building  of  school-houses  and  places  of 
worship.  They  aid  as  may  seem  necessary ;  but  the 
responsibility  and  chief  pecuniary  burden  are  left 
with  the  people ;  except  where  the  power  of  prece- 
dent, from  a  different  course,  is  too  strong  to  be  over- 
come at  once. 

The  various  testimonies  embodied  in  this  chapter 
will  not  affect  all  minds  alike.    Yet  all  must 

The  result. 

admit,  that  the  Gospel  has  gained  a  deeper, 
firmer  hold  on  the  Armenians,  than  it  ever  had  be- 
fore, from  the  days  of  Gregory  "  the  Ilhiminator  " 
until  now.  A  mental,  moral,  and  social  revolution 
is  in  progress,  and  mainly  as  a  consequence  of  the 
republication  of  the  Gospel  by  missionaries  in  the 
past  half  century  ;  and  there  is  no  probability  of  any 
event  occurring  that  shall  be  sufficient  to  arrest  it. 
Doubtless  great  evil  would  result  from  extensive  in- 
roads of  sectarian  zeal.  But  there  is  hope  of  triumph 
even  then,  —  from  the  Bible  in  their  own  language, 
brought  by  the  press  within  reach  of  thousands  of 
families,  with  fathers,  mothers,  and  children  able  and 
free  to  read  it ;  from  self-governed,  self-supported, 
self-propagating  churches,  scattered  over  the  em- 
pire, each  with  its  indoctrinated  native  pastor  ;  from 
woman  holding  such  a  place  in  the  family  and  social 
circle,  as  she  never  held  before ;  and  from  common 
schools,  and  normal  schools,  and  high  schools,  and 
theological  seminaries,  and  even  colleges,  all  inde- 
pendent of  the  hierarchy,  and  beyond  the  power  of 


472      MISSIONS   TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

the  Jesuits;  with  tlie logic  of  free  thought,  aud  a  free 
couscieuce. 

It  would  seem  that  it  may  not  be  needful  greatly 
to  enlarge  the  present  number  of  missionaries  among 
the  Armenian  people.  The  native  ministers  and 
native  churches  are  the  main  thing.  And  it  must 
be  admitted,  that  the  Gospel,  through  the  grace  of 
God,  has  been  republished,  and  its  institutions  re- 
planted, extensively  and  most  hopefully  in  the  Ar- 
menian Church  of  the  Orient.  "  In  the  midst  of 
fermentation,"  writes  the  Constantinople  station  in 
1872,  "  the  leaven  of  truth  is  making  its  way ;  aud 
so  is,  also,  that  of  infidelity ;  but  the  latter  is  tem- 
porary in  its  influence,  the  former  permanent.  There 
is  far  more  Protestantism  outside  of  the  Protestant 
church  than  within  it.  Protestant  ideas  of  truth, 
of  liberty  of  conscience,  of  progress,  are  spread  far 
and  wide,  and  are  convulsing  these  nations." 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

THE   MOHAMMEDANS. 

The  necessity  for  republishing  the  Gospel  among 
the  Oriental  Churches,  in  order  to  approach 

'  *^^  The  Moham- 

the  Mohammedans  successfully,  was  stated  ^^o^^ed^ 
in  the  Introduction  to  this  History.^     It  orientti*''' 
seems  proper  now  to  give  some  illustrations      "^  **" 
of  the  eflFect  this  republication  is  likely  to  have  upon 
that  people. 

A  large  portion  of  the  Mohammedan  population 
of  Turkey  is  undoubtedly  of  Christian  Aiargepor- 
origin,  and  therefore  less  firmly  wedded  to  of'chrisua^ 
the  Moslem  faith  and  ritual,  than  are  the  °"^'°" 
Osmauly  Turks.  Three  fourths  of  the  four  millions 
in  European  Turkey,  are  believed  to  be  of  this  class. 
The  Kuzzelbashes  in  Eastern  Turkey  have  a  tradi- 
tion that  their  Christian  ancestors  were  compelled  to 
become  Mohammedans,  and  they  are  now  regarded 
by  the  Turks  as  little  better  than  infidels ;  nor  are 
the  Koords  in  much  higher  repute.  Of  the  Druzes 
enough  was  said  in  the  first  volume.^ 

Though  the  penalty  of  death  for  embracing  the 
Christian  religion  has  been  abrogated  in  Turkey,* 

1  See  Volume  i.  pp.  1-6.  ^  ggg  Chapter  xv. 

3  See  Chapters  ix.  and  xxv. 


474     MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

yet  the  convert  from  Moliammedauism  does  not  feel 
Degree  of  timsclf  free  from  danger  of  secret  assas- 
Mosiem  con-  sination.  Far  greater  security  of  life  and 
property  is  enjoyed  by  Protestant  Armenians 
and  Bulgarians,  than  by  Protestant  Turks.  Indeed, 
it  is  not  long  since  Protestant  Turks  had  no  security 
whatever ;  and  in  Persia,  they  have  none  now. 
When  Koord,  Kuzzelbash,  and  Turk  shall  feel  as 
free  to  inquire,  and  to  act  on  conviction,  as  the  mem- 
bers of  the  nominally  Christian  sects,  there  are  facts 
encouraging  the  belief,  that  large  numbers  of  Mos- 
lems may  be  expected  to  embrace  the  Christian 
faith. 

There  is  no  more  satisfactory  way  of  illustrating 
Moham-  *^^^  *^^^"  ^y  ^  simple  statement  of  some  of 
^^wiitTto  *^^  ^^^'^  important  facts.  Indeed,  it  is 
flue™  emus-  requisite  to  the  completeness  of  this  history, 
that  these  be  now  stated,  since  they  were 
designedly  omitted  in  the  preceding  pages,  in  their 
various  connections,  in  order  to  be  recorded  here. 

I  begin  with  the  year  1854,  when  the  Imperial 
Firman  of  1850  became  known  in  the  provinces.^ 
Mr.  Dunmore,  on  his  way  from  Arabkir  to  Diarbekir^ 
with  Priest  Kevork,  spent  the  first  night  at  a  Mos- 
lem village.  They  had  travelled  in  the  rain,  and 
were  scarcely  dry,  says  Mr.  Dunmore,  "  when  a  com- 
pany of  Turks  asked  us  to  read  to  them  from  the 
New  Testament,  and  tell  them  something  of  our  be- 

1  See  Chapters  xxiv.  and  xxv. 


THE  MOHAMMEDANS.  475 

lief.  Kovork  read  to  them  from  the  Gospels,  explain- 
ing", as  he  passed  along,  the  precious  teachings  of 
our  Lord,  and  closed  with  prayer.  All  listened 
attentively,  and  pronounced  it,  '  Good,'  '  True,* 
*Just."' 

At  another  place,  Mr.  Dunmore  found  Turks  de- 
sirous to  hear  the  Gospel.  "  More  than  once,"  he 
says,  "in  passing  through  the  streets,  rich  Moslem 
merchants  called  us  into  their  shops,  expressed  their 
sympathy  with  us,  and  an  earnest  desire  that  we 
would  remain.  They  called  the  Armenians  to  dis- 
cuss questions  with  us,  but  the  latter  did  so  only 
when  constrained  by  fear,  or  shame.  We  were  fre- 
quently followed  by  a  number  of  respectable  Moslems, 
as  we  went  from  shop  to  shop  to  converse  with  the 
Armenians ;  and  one  day  so  many  gathered  about 
us  that  we  could  scarcely  proceed  on  our  way ;  all 
exclaiming,  '  Right,'  '  True,'  '  Good,'  to  all  that  we 
said." 

The  Hutti  Huniaioun  was  promulgated  in  1855. 
In  that  year  the  Turkish  Scriptures  were  sold  openly 
on  the  bridge  between  Galata  and  Constantinople, 
uo  man  forbidding. 

In  September,  1857,  Dr.  Hamlin  described  the 
official  examination,  at  his  house,  of  a  family  con- 
verted from  Mohammedanism.  It  was  made  at  the 
instigation  of  the  mother  of  the  wife,  who  was  al- 
most frantic  at  the  baptism  of  her  daughter  and 
grandchild.    "  Our  dear  friends,"  wrote  Dr.  Hamlin, 


476    MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL    CHURCHES. 

*'  stood  firm  as  a  rock,  and  at  length  the  officers 
arose  and  said  to  me,  as  nearly  as  I  can  state ;  '  We 
are  fully  convinced  that  no  compulsion  has  been  used 
in  this  case,  and,  so  far  as  we  can  see,  the  accusa- 
tions of  the  mother  are  false.  It  is  the  will  of  his 
Majesty,  our  Sovereign,  and  it  has  become  the  law 
of  the  empire,  that  every  subject,  without  exception, 
should  enjoy  entire  religious  freedom.  The  Mussul- 
man is  now  as  free  to  become  a  Christian,  as  a 
Christian  is  free  to  become  a  Mussulman.  The  gov- 
ernment will  know  no  difference  in  the  two  cases. 
It  will  only  undertake,  whenever  an  accusation  of 
restraint  or  compulsion  is  brought,  to  ascertain  the 
true  state  of  the  case ;  and  then  only  in  order  to  se- 
cure the  most  unexceptionable  freedom  of  choice.'  " 

In  May  of  the  following  year.  Dr.  Hamlin  wrote, 
that  Selim  Effendi,  a  converted  Mussulman  employed 
as  an  evangelist  among  his  countrymen,  had  mauy 
inquirers.  "  I  think  he  conversed  with  eleven  last 
week ;  among  whom  a  woman  expressed  a  very  de- 
cided desire  to  embrace  Christianity,  but  she  was 
afraid  of  her  son.  Her  son  had  sometimes  expressed 
the  same  wish,  but  he  was  afraid  of  his  mother  ! 
Selim  introduced  them  to  each  other." 

"  Let  the  following  statements  be  appreciated," 
said  Dr.  Schauffler,  in  September,  1858,  "and  the 
difference  between  the  present  and  the  former  state 
of  thiugs  will  be  better  understood.  (1.)  The  Imaus 
and  Ulemas  are  obliged  to  resort  to  moral  suasion 


THE  MOHAMMEDANS.  477 

and  entreaty.  No  threats  of  persecution  are  em- 
ployed ;  the  government  takes  no  responsibility  in 
these  matters ;  the  police  has  nothing  to  do  with 
them.  (2.)  Although  there  are  fewer  purchasers  of 
the  New  Testament,  yet  men  buy  it  publicly,  fearing 
no  civil  penalty.  'Why  do  you  buy  this  infidel 
book?'  says  a  bigot  to  a  Mohammedan  purchaser 
of  the  Gospel.  He  replies  :  '  I  chose  to  buy  it,  and 
with  my  own  money  ;  you  are  welcome  to  mind  your 
own  business ; '  and  so  the  matter  ends.  (3.)  We 
hear  of  no  search  being  made  for  the  books  in  cir- 
culation among  Mussulmans.  No  New  Testaments . 
have  been  burned  yet,  that  we  know  of,  by  the  Turks, 
as  many  copies  have  been  by  the  Greek  or  Catholic 
priests  and  bishops." 

Mr.  Dunmore  wrote,  in  the  same  year,  after  visit- 
ing thirty  villages,  mostly  Kuzzelbash  and  Turkish  : 
"  I  really  felt  ashamed,  that  in  touring  I  had  ever 
passed  by  a  Turkish  village,  without  stopping  to 
point  them  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away 
the  sins  of  the  world?  And  I  testify  what  I  have 
seen,  when  I  say,  that  the  Turks  are  approachable ; 
and  many  of  them  ready  to  listen  to  the  Gospel ; 
while  others  are  anxious  to  search  the  Scriptures, 
and  are  restrained  only  by  the  pressure  of  fears, 
which,  as  yet,  the  Hatti-humaioun  has  scarcely  be- 
gun to  remove  in  this  region." 

I  quote  again  from  the  same  missionary  :  "  At  a 
Koordish  village  of  twenty  houses  we  spent  two 


478    MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

hours  iu  preaching  the  Word  to  a  company  of  thirty. 
One  of  them,  who  seemed  to  have  received  a  few 
rays  of  light  from  enlightened  men,  holdly  declared, 
that  he  helieved  the  time  was  near,  when  the  sword 
would  no  more  he  used  to  keep  men  iu  Moslem 
bonds,  but  that  they  all  would  soon  be  free  to  em- 
brace the  Gospel,  if  they  wished.  We  spent  a  night 
at  a  Kuzzelbash  village  of  forty  houses.  Immediately 
on  our  arrival,  we  had  an  audience  of  thirty  or  forty  ; 
and  during  the  long  evening,  fifty  or  more  listened 
to  the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel.  We  preached 
*  Christ  crucified ;  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life  ;  * 
and  they  received  the  word  with  eagerness.  When 
the  evening  was  far  spent,  we  bowed  together  before 
the  mercy-seat,  after  which  our  audience  reluctantly 
retired.  These  are  but  samples  of  our  visits  among 
Kuzzelbashes  and  Turks  on  this  tour." 

Dr.  Hamlin,  speaking  of  Turks  near  the  close  of 
1858,  says :  "  There  have  been,  here  and  there,  some 
burnings  of  the  New  Testament ;  not  publicly,  but 
in  private,  or  in  small  social  circles.  Among  Mus- 
sulmans themselves  a  spirited  debate  has  repeatedly 
arisen  as  to  the  moral  character  of  the  act.  Some 
have  approved,  others  have  most  decidedly  con- 
demned it,  affirming  that  the  New  Testament  is  the 
Word  of  God.  What  impressed  us  most  strongly  is 
the  bold  manner  in  which  orthodox  Turks  have  de- 
clared it  to  be  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  to  burn  it 
is  a  sin."  ^ 

^  See  Missionary  Herald  for  1858,  p.  380. 


THE  MOHAMMEDANS.  479 

Dr.  Dwight  wrote  iu  May,  1859:  "The  work 
among  the  Turks  is  looming  up  ;  and  if  not  hindered 
by  some  untoward  event,  or  by  our  neglect,  it  will 
by  and  by  assume  very  large  proportions.  That 
Turkish  officials  through  the  country  have  been  in- 
structed not  to  persecute  Mohammedans  who  em- 
brace Christianity,  is  very  evident.  The  governors 
of  Sivas,  Cesarea,  and  Diarbekir  have,  to  our  knowl- 
edge, within  a  short  time,  and  with  actual  cases  be- 
fore them,  publicly  declared,  that  a  Mohammedan 
who  became  a  Christian  could  not  be  molested." 

Mr.  White  visited  a  place  on  the  north  of  the 
Taurus  Mountains  iu  May,  1860,  and  had  many  calls 
from  Mussulmans.  "  Every  day  they  came,"  he  says, 
"  with  an  apparently  sincere  desire  to  learn  the 
truth ;  and  held  long  conversations  on  man's  sinful- 
ness, and  how  it  was  possible  for  God  to  forgive  sin. 
'  We  have  lost  God ; '  '  We  have  lost  the  road ; '  *  We 
cannot  find  God ; '  were  expressions  they  used  very 
often.  At  almost  every  meeting,  from  three  to  five 
Mussulmans  were  present.  One  is  known  all  over 
the  city  as  a  Protestant ;  and  a  second  is  a  member 
of  the  Governor's  Council." 

Mr.  Herrick,  speaking  of  the  Turkish  department 
in  the  Bebek  Seminary,  wrote  thus,  in  the  same 
year :  "  Quite  a  number  of  Mohammedans  have  re- 
nounced Islam,  and  become  true  Christians;  many 
more  are  soberly  inquiring  after  the  truth  ;  and 
many  others  are  turning,  unsatisfied,  from  a  religion 


480      MISSIONS  TO   THE  ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

which  cannot  save,  or  wavering  in  a  merely  nominal 
devotion  to  Islamism.  That  which  is  most  striking 
is  the  clear  evidence,  often,  of  the  work  of  God's 
Spirit  in  individual  cases,  and  in  general  move- 
ments." 

Dr.  Schneider  gives  this  testimony  concerning  the 
Mussulmans  at  an  out-station  of  Aintab :  "  There  is 
a  willingness  among  the  Moslems  here  to  listen  to 
arguments  in  favor  of  Christianity,  that  is  uncom- 
mon. By  intercourse  with  Protestants,  and  the 
reading  of  the  Scriptures,  many  of  them  have  ob- 
tained glimpses  of  the  truth,  and  a  few  are  more  or 
less  convinced  that  Christianity  is  true.  While  I 
was  there,  fifteen  Mussulmans  and  several  women 
attended  a  service.  Apparently  there  is  no  place  in 
this  region  where  there  is  so  much  prospect  of  a 
speedy  work  to  be  done  among  the  Mussulmans.'* 

The  inducement  to  labor  among  the  Moslems, 
was  much  increased  in  the  year  1860.  At  one  large 
town  in  the  heart  of  Asia  Minor,  a  Moslem  said  to 
a  Protestant,  "  Since  you  came  here,  you  have  caused 
us  to  fall  into  doubt  and  fear."  At  aiftther,  a  Turk 
and  his  wife  appeared  to  be  true  Christians.  Though 
the  man  was  zealous  in  making  known  the  Gospel, 
the  Moslems  agreed  to  ignore  his  being  a  Protestant. 
At  Diarbekir,  a  Turk  declared  himself  a  Christian, 
and  a  captain  of  the  army  at  Harpoot  did  the  same. 
Many  Turks  in  the  latter  region  purchased  the  New 
Testament,  and  some  the  whole  Bible.    The  military 


THE  MOHAMMEDANS.  481 

Pasha  of  this  district  bought  a  Bible  publicly,  and 
so  did  the  civil  Pasha;  thus  showing  the  effect  of 
the  thorough  evangelization  of  that  community. 
At  Constantinople,  Dr.  Dwight  reported  his  having 
read  the  Scriptures  and  bowed  in  prayer  with  a  high 
officer  of  the  army  in  the  palace  of  a  Pasha,  in  the 
Mussulman  quarter  of  the  city,  and  in  the  presence 
of  servants ;  the  officer  appearing  to  be  strongly 
under  the  influence  of  evangelical  ideas  and  feel- 
ings. Six  Moslem  converts  were  baptized  that  year 
at  the  capital.  One  of  these  was  an  Imagf,  seventy  '^'^ 
years  of  age.  There  had  then  been  fifteen  baptisms 
of  adult  converts  from  Mohammedanism  in  Constan- 
tinople.^ The  Grand  Vizier  subsequently  required 
the  Serasker  to  call  Abdi  Effendi,  the  baptized  ImaQ) 
above  mentioned,  and  examine  him.  This  was  done, 
and  the  old  man  made  the  following  confession  and 
statement :  "  We  are  no  ghiaours  {i.  e.  we  worship 
neither  pictures,  nor  crosses,  nor  saints) ;  we  assem- 
ble and  read  out  of  this  book  (drawing  out  of  his 
bosom  the  New  Testament) ;  we  sing  out  of  this 
one  (producing  a  Turkish  Hymn  Book) ;  and  we 
listen  to  preaching  from  the  Gospel,  and  engage  in 
prayer  for  all  men.  If  there  is  anything  wrong  in 
this  book,  please  point  it  out  to  me."  He  supposed 
(on  inquiry)  that  there  migbt  be  some  forty  men 
who  were  like  him,  and  mentioned  some  of  their 
names. 

1  Jn  part,  by  English  missionaries, 
voii.  II.  31 


482      MISSIONS  TO    THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

It  would  be  easy  to  multiply  illustrations  like  the 
General  forcgoiug  of  the  susccptibility  of  Moham- 
tS4'^-^  medaus  to  Christian  influence;  and  the 
reader  will  notice  that  they  are  of  the  same 
general  nature  with  the  early  manifestations  of  in- 
terest among  the  Armenians.  There  have  been, 
also-,  Turkish  converts,  who  braved  death  in  their 
Christian  profession,  and  remained  steadfast  unto 
the  end. 

No  churches  have  been  formed  by  our  mission- 
The  Gos  el  ^^'^^^  exclusivcly  of  Turkish  Christians ; 
dpilnt'slig;  and  it  can  hardly  be  said,  that  the  Board 
has  yet  had  an  organized  mission  to  this 
people.  Of  the  four  missiouaries  sent  especially  to 
the  Turks,  Dr.  Schauffler  has  devoted  himself  chiefly 
to  translating  the  Scriptures  into  the  Osmanli- 
Turkish ;  Mr.  Herrick,  besides  doing  service  by  his 
commentaries  and  other  literary  labors  in  that  lan- 
guage, has  been  mainly  employed  in  the  Turkish 
department  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  first  at 
Bebek,  and  then  at  Marsovan  ;  the  younger  Mr. 
Schauffler  was  born  on  the  ground,  as  we  may  say, 
and  began  his  labors  amid  the  strifes  of  the  Arme- 
nians in  Constantinople  with  the  missionaries,  which 
was  a  great  hindrance  to  his  work,  and  the  health 
of  his  family  not  allowing  him  to  remain  in  Turkey, 
he  is  now  a  pioneer  in  the  new  mission  to  Austria  ; 
and  Mr.  Hutchison  had  scarcely  entered  the  Turk- 
ish  department  of  the  Bebek  Seminary,  when  the 


THE  MOHAMMEDANS.  483 

failure  of  his  wife's  health  required  a  return  to  the 
Uuited  States.  The  mission  of  the  Rev.  James  L. 
Merrick  to  the  Persian  Mohammedans,  in  1834,  was 
little  more  than  a  tentative  exploration  of  the  field, 
and  was  not  continued.^ 

With  a  field  so  inviting  as  the  Armenian  along" 
side  of  the  Mohammedan,  it  was  not  easy  why  so  uttie 
to  obtain  missionaries  to  the  Moslems,  erto. 
Then  again,  missionaries  to  the  Armenians  soon  be- 
came engrossed  by  their  labors.  "  The  Mohamme- 
dans," wrote  Dr.  Schauffler  in  1859,  "  never  will  be 
cared  for  by  missionaries  to  the  Armenians  or  the 
Bulgarians.  We  can  all  render  each  other  impor- 
tant services,  but  no  missionary  can  take  charge  of 
two  nationalities.  Each  one,  soon  after  coming, 
finds  his  hands  so  full  of  business  for  which  he  feels 
responsible,  that  he  cannot  do  much  besides.  More- 
over, every  man  gets  his  sympathies  enlisted  for  the 
people  of  his  charge.  This  is  probably  necessary  to 
enable  us  to  labor  with  energy,  and  suffer  with  pa- 
tience ;  but  this  needful  concentration  of  feeling 
precludes  the  idea  of  universality  in  missionary 
labor." 

Experience  has  also  developed  the  great  law  here, 

1  It  should  be  stated  that  the  English  Church  Missionary  Society 
has  had  a  missionary  to  the  Mohammedans  in  Constantinople  since 
1862,  and  reports  five  converts  who  are  communicants.  For  the  re- 
actionary movement  among  the  Turks  at  Constantinople,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  distribution  of  Dr.  Pfander's  Defense  of  Christianity 
against  Mohammedanism,  see  page  234  of  this  volume. 


484     MISSIONS  TO   THE   ORIENTAL   CHURCHES. 

as  well  as  elsewhere,  that  the  main  work  of  wiuuing 
Dema  d  fo  ^'^ces  to  Christlauity  must  be  performed  by 
ihe^Sm?^  meu  of  the  same  race.  A  Moslem  will 
listen  more  patiently  to  a  Christian  Turk 
("renegade"  though  he  be),  than  he  will  to  an 
Armenian ;  nor  has  it  been  found  easy  to  enlist  the 
Protestant  Armenians  effectively  in  labors  for  the 
Turks.  It  may  be  otherwise  when  the  work  is  more 
advanced,  and  the  Armenians  are  elevated  to  a 
higher  social  level.  But  a  ministry  raised  from 
among  themselves,  is  indispensable  to  the  most  eflfi- 
cient  evangelization  of  the  Turks. 

It  would  seem,  therefore,  that,  up  to  the  present 
^     .  time,  the  original  plan  of  the  mission  to 

Expeneuce  '  o  jt 

Sla'hilherto  Turkcy  has  been  more  promising  of  good, 
pursued  than  any  other;  namely,  that  of  operat- 
ing upon  the  Mohammedans  through  regenerated 
churches  planted  in  the  communities  where  they 
dwell ;  and  the  greatest  usefulness  of  these  churches, 
for  obvious  reasons,  must  be  expected  in  the  interior, 
rather  than  in  the  capital.  Thus  far,  there  has  been 
no  material  or  very  obvious  change  in  the  missionary 
policy ;  and  the  risk  of  such  a  change,  and  its  prob- 
able advantages  on  the  whole,  should  be  carefully 
estimated.  The  Protestant  nations  of  Europe  are 
substantially  with  us  in  our  evangelical  labors  among 
the  Oriental  Churches  ;  and  the  churches  we  gather 
are  "  our  epistle,"  "  known  and  read  "  by  the  Mo- 
hammedans.    Gradually,  it   may   be,  some   of  the 


THE  MOHAMMEDANS.  485 

missionaries  now  in  the  field,  who  are  familiar  with 
the  Turkish  language,  and  have  their  Ar-  The  probable 
meuiau  churches  supplied  with  pastors,  will  ^'^^'^^^' 
turn  their  attention  mainly  to  the  Moslems,  in  the 
exercise  of  a  sound  discretion,  both  as  regards  the 
Turks  and  the  Christians.  It  may  be  found  that 
both  classes  may  be  happily  inclosed  in  the  same 
fold.     The  missionary  now  occupies  a  high-  The  relation 

of  the  mis- 
er and  more  influential  position  with  both,  sionary 

than  he  did  years  ago.  The  Turk,  too,  is  better  ap- 
preciated as  he  becomes  known.  He  has  more  of 
manliness,  self-respect,  and   religious  feel-  The  Turks 

not  an  un- 

iug,  than  some  races  for  whose  salvation  hopeful  race. 
our  labors  have  been  blest.  The  masses  are  by  no 
means  hopeless,  and  the  middle  class  is  full  of 
promise. 

The  future  is  in  the  hands  of  the  great  Head  of 
the  Church  ;  who  has  so  crowned  with  success  the 
past  labors  of  his  servants  in  Turkey,  as  to  warrant 
the  expectation,  that  whatever  is  needful  to  the 
effectual  republication  of  the  Gospel  in  those  Bible 
lauds,  may  be  attempted  with  the  glad  assurance  of 
success. 


MISSIONARIES. 


MISSIOKAEIES. 


When  no  date  occurs  in  the  right  hand  column,  it  is  because  the  mis- 
S-onary  is  still  in  the  field. 

In  several  instances,  the  date  of  the  wife's  arrival  in  the  field  precedes 
the  arrival  of  the  husband.  The  explanation  is  that  the  wife,  previous  to 
marriage,  had  been  connected  with  the  mission  as  a  teacher. 

Dr.  Eli  Smith's  Exploring  Tour  is  included  in  his  thirty  years'  mis- 
sionaiy  service.     So  in  the  case  of  Dr.  H.  G.  0.  Dwight,  and  some  others. 

Cyprus  is  included  in  the  Mission  to  Greece  and  the  Greeks;  the  pop- 
ulation consisting  largely  of  that  element. 

The  asterisk  (*)  placed  before  a  name,  denotes  that  the  person  is  de- 
ceased. When  it  is  placed  before  a  date,  in  the  right  hand  column,  it 
denotes  that  the  person  died  at  the  time  there  indicated,  and  in  the  field. 

The  Assyria  Mission  terminated  in  November,  1860,  when  it  was  merged 
in  the  Mission  to  the  Armenians.  The  persons  composing  that  mission 
remained  at  their  stations. 

It  should  be  specially  noted,  that  this  table  is  not  designed  to  state  the 
time  of  a  missionary's  connection  either  with  the  Mission,  or  with  the 
Board,  but  only  of  his  residence  in  the  field. 


MISSION  TO  PALESTINE. 


Wives  of  Missionaeies. 


♦Pliny  Fisk  .... 
•Levi  Parsons  .  .  . 
*Jonas  King,  D.  D.  . 
♦George  B.  V^^liiting  . 

Wm.  M.  Thomson,  D.  D, 

♦Jotin  F.  Lanneau  . 
Charles  S.  Sherman  . 


[See  Mission  to  Greece.]  . 
[See  Mission  to  Syria] 
Mrs.  Matilda  S.  Whiting 
[See  Mission  to  Syria]  . 
♦Mrs.  Eliza  N.  Thomson 
[See  Mission  to  Syria]     . 

Mrs.  Martha  E.  Sherman 


MissiONABT  Physician. 
•Asa  Dodge,  M.  D 


Imts." 


Martha  Dodge 


Assistant  Missionary. 

I  Miss  Betsey  Tilden 


Jan.  15,  1820. 
Jan.  15,  1820. 
Nov.  2, 1822. 
Oct.,  1834. 
Oct.,  1834. 
April,  1834. 
April,  1834. 
May  1,  1836. 
Sept.,  1838. 
Sept.,  1839. 


Sept., 
Sept., 


*Oct.  23, 1825. 
*Feb.  10,  1822. 
Aug.  26, 1825. 
Autumn,  1843. 
Autumn,  1843. 

*July  22,  1834. 
June  11,  1846. 
July  1,  1842. 
July  1,  1842. 


Messrs.  Beadle  and  Keyes  were  at  Jerusalem  from  July  17 


,  to  January,  1841. 


490 


MISSIONARIES. 


THE  PRINTING  ESTABLISHMENT  AT  MALTA. 


♦Daniel  Temple 


Wives  op  Missionakies. 


[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
*Mrs.  Rachel  B.  Temple 
*Mrs.  Martha  E.  Temple 


Assistant  Missionary. 


Homan  Hallock 


I  [See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hallock    . 


Feb.  22, 1822. 
I'eb.  22,  1822. 
Feb.  25, 1830. 


Dec.  10, 
Mar.  26, 


Time  of 
Lea  VINO. 


Dec.,  1833. 
*Jan.  15, 1827. 
Dec.,  1833. 


MISSION  TO  SYRIA. 


Ordained 
Missionaries. 


♦William  Goodell,  D.  D. 
Isaac  Bird    .... 
*Eli  Smith,  D.  D.  .     . 


[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
*Mrs.  Abigail  P.  Goodell 


Wm.  M.  Thomson,  D.  D 
*Story  Hebard      .     . 


Elias  R.  Beadle  .  . 
Samuel  Wolcott,  D.  D. 
♦Nathaniel  A.  Keyes 
Leander  Thompson  . 
C.V.A.VanDyck.D.D, 
♦George  B.  Whiting 
*John  F.  Lanueau  . 
Calhoun  . 


*J.  Edwards  Ford 
David  M.  Wilson  .     . 
Horitce  Foote    .     .     . 
*Wra.F.  Williams,  D.D 


Wives  op  Missionaries. 


Mrs.  Ann  P.  Bird 


*Mrs.  Sarah  L.  H.  Smith 
♦Mrs.  Maria  W.  C.  Smith 
Mrs.  Henrietta  S.  Smith 
[See  Mission  to  Palestine] 
Mrs.  Maria  Thomson  .     . 


•Mrs.  Rebecca  W.  Hebard 
[formerly  Miss  Williams] 


♦Mrs.  Hannah  Beadle 
♦Mrs.  Catharine  E.  Wolcott 
*Mrs.  Mary  Keyes  . 
Mrs.  Anne  E.  Thompson 


Mrs.  Julia  A.  Van  Dyck  . 
[See  Mission  to  Palestine] 
♦Mrs.  Matilda  S.  Whiting 
[See  Mi.^sion  to  Palestine] 
Mrs.  .Tulia  H.  Lanneau    . 


Mrs.  Emily  P.  Calhoun  . 
[See  Mission  to  Nestorians] 


Mrs.  Loanza  G.  Benton 
Mrs.  Mary  Ford      .     . 


Mrs.  Emeline  Wilson 


♦Mrs.  Roxana  Foote  .  . 
[See  Assyria  Mission]  .  . 
*Mr3.  Sarah  P.  Williams 


Oct.  16,  1823. 
Oct.  16,  1823. 
Oct.  16,  1823. 
Oct.  16,  1823. 
Feb.  18,  1827. 
Jan.  28, 1834. 

unel(il841. 

an.  12,  1847. 
Sept.,  1834. 
Aug.  3,  1S35. 
Mar.  14, 1836. 
Nov.  13,  1835. 

Oct.  15, 1838. 
Oct.  15,  1838. 
April  1, 1840. 
April  1,  184U. 
April  2,  1840. 
April  2,  1840. 
April  1,  1840. 
April  1,  1840. 
April  1, 1840. 
Dec.  22, 1842. 
Autumn,  1843. 
Autumn,  1843. 
Feb.,  1844. 
Feb.,  1844. 
July  .8,1844. 
March  6,  1849. 
Dec.  11,  1814. 
Oct.  20, 1847,  I 
Oct  20. 1847,  I 
March  8,  1848. 
March  8,  1848. 
March  8.  184S 
March  8, 1S4S. 
Aug.  24,  lb48. 
Aug.  24,  1848. 
March  6,  1849. 
March  6, 1849. 


May  2, 1828. 
May  2,  1828. 
Aug.,  1835. 
Aug.,  1835. 
♦Jan.  11,  1867. 
♦Sept.  30, 1836. 
♦May  27, 1842. 
May,  1867. 


♦June  30, 1841. 
♦Feb.  18,  1840. 

Sept.  27,  1842. 
Sept.  27, 1842. 
Jan.  2,  1843. 
♦Oct.  26,  1841. 
April  5,  1844. 
April  5,  1844. 
March  1, 1843. 
March  1,1843. 


.♦Nov.  8,  1855. 
I  Mar.  14,  1856. 


May  9,  1846. 
Con.  terminat- 
ed .Jui:e,  1861. 
June,  lb65. 
1865. 
Mi-y  4,  1861. 
May  4,  1861. 
.A.utuinn,  1854. 
Autumn,  1864. 

*July  1, 1854 


MISSIONARIES. 


491 


MISSION  TO  SYRIA.  —  Continued. 


Ordadtbd 
Missionaries. 


Wives  op  Missionaries. 


TOIB  OF 

Leaving. 


WilUam  W.  Eddy 
WUliamBird    .     . 
J.  Lorenzo  Lyons 
Edward  Aiken  .    . 


Daniel  Bliss,  D.D.     . 
Henry  H.  Jessnp,  D.  D. 


Samuel  Jessup  .  . 
Philip  Berry  .  .  . 
Geo.  Edw'd  Post,  M.  D. 
Samuel  S.  MitcheU  . 
Isaac  N.  Lowry  *.  . 
James  S.  Dennis   .    . 


Mrs.  Hannah  M.  Eddy 


Mrs.  Sarah  F.  Bird      .     . 
Mrs.  Catharine  N.  Lyons 


*Mr8.  Susan  D.  Aiken 
Mrs.  Sarah  C.  Aiken    .     . 
[formerly  Miss  Cheney] 


Mrs.  Abby  M.  Bliss 


*Mrs.  Caroline  Jessup 
Mrs.  Harriet  E.  Jessup 


Mrs.  Ann  E.  Jessup    . 
Mrs.  Magdalene  Berry 


Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Post  . 
Mrs.  Lucy  M.  Mitchell 
Mrs.  Mary  E.. Lowry  . 


Missionary  Physicians. 
♦H.  A.  DeForest,  M.  D.  I 


Mrs.  Catharine  S.  DeForest 


Assistant  Missionaries. 


George  C.  Hurter  . 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hurter     . 
*Miss  Rebecca  W.  Williams 

[afterwards  Mrs.  Hebard] 
*Miss  Anna  L  Whittlesey 
Miss  Sarah  Cheney     .     . 

[tfow  Mrs.  Edw'd  Aiken] 
Miss  Jane  E.  Johnson     . 
Miss  Amelia  C.  Temple   . 

[now  Mrs.  Geo.  Gould] 
Miss  Adelaide  L.  Mason  . 
Miss  Eliza  D.  Everett  .  . 
Miss  NelUe  A.  Carruth    . 


Jan.  31,  1852. 
Jan.  31, 1852. 
April,  1853. 
April,  1853. 
Feb.  25.  1855. 
Feb.  25,  1855. 
April,  1856.  . 
April,  1856. 


April,  1856. 
April,  1856. 
Feb.  7,  1856. 
April,  1858. 
Nov.  22,  1868. 
Jan.  24, 1863. 
Jan.  24, 1863. 
Oct.  7,  1863. 
Oct.  7, 1863. 
Dec,  1863. 
Dec,  1863. 
June  12,  1867. 
June  12, 1867. 
Nov.  22,  1867. 
Nov.  22,  1867. 
.  10. 1869. 


Mar.  23,  1842. 
Mar.  23, 1842. 


April  15,  1841. 
AprU  15, 1841. 
Nov.  13,  1835. 

May  2,  1851. 
April,  1853. 

Aug.  31,1858. 
Aug.  31,  1858. 

April  11, 1860. 
Nov.  22,  1868. 
Nov.  22, 1868. 


June,  1863. 
June,  1863. 
May  1,  1858. 
♦June  20, 1856. 
May  1, 1858. 


*July  2, 1864. 


Oct.,  1865. 
Oct.,  1865. 


May  8, 1854. 
May  8, 1854. 


Spring,  1864. 
June  7,  1861. 
*Feb.  8, 1840. 

*May  1,  1852. 
May  1,  1858. 

May  15,  1859. 
Spring,  1862. 

June,  1865. 


492 


3nSSI0NARIES. 


MISSION  TO  GEEECE  AND  THE  GREEKS. 


Ordained 
Missionaries. 


Wives  of  Missionaries. 


Josiah  Brewer  .  .  . 
*Elnathan  Gridley  . 
*,Jonas  King,  D.  D.    . 

Elias  Riggs,  D.D.  .     . 

Samuel  R.  Houston  . 

♦Lorenzo  W.  Pease    . 

James  L.  Thompson 
Daniel  Ladd      .     .     . 

♦Nathan  Benjamin    . 

George  W.  Ley  hum  . 


[See  Mission  to  Palestine] 
Mrs.  Anna  A.  King      .     . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Martha  Jane  Riggs 

*Mrs.  Mary  R.  Houston  . 

Mrs.  Lucinda  Pease     .     . 


[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs   Charlotte  H.  Ladd  . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
*Mrs.  Mary  G.  Benjamin 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  W.  Leyburn 


Dec.  27,  1826. 
Dec.  27,  1826. 
April,  18.31. 
April,  1831. 
Jan.,  183.3. 
Jan.,  1833. 
Nov.,  1834. 
Nov.,  1834. 
Nov.,  1834. 
Nov.,  1834. 
May,  1836. 
Oct.,  1833. 
Oct.,  1836. 
Nov.,  1836. 
Nov.,  1836. 
June,  1837. 
June,  1837. 


Spring,  1828. 

*Sept.27,1827. 
*May  22,  1869. 


1840. 
*Nov.  24, 1839. 
♦Aug.  28,1839. 
Spring,  1841. 
Autumn,  1841. 


1842. 

1842. 


MISSION   TO   THE  ARMENIANS. 


Wives  op  Missionaries. 


Time  op 
Leaving. 


♦William  Goodell,  D.  D. 
♦H.  G.  0.  Dwight,  D.  D. 


♦Daniel  Temple  .  . 
Thomas  P.  Johnston 
Benj.  Schneider,  D.  D. 


JohnB.  Adger,  D.D. 
Philander  0.  Powers 


Philander  0.  Powers 
Henry  A.  Homes  .     . 


William  C.  Jackson  . 
Cyrus  Hamlin,  D.  D. 


[See  Mission  to  Syria] 
*iMrs.  AbigaU  P.  "Goodell 


♦Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dwight  . 
♦Mrs.  Mary  Dwight     .     . 
[See  Print.  Estab.  at  Malta] 
♦Mrs.  Martha  E.  Temple 

Mrs.  Marianne  C.  Johnston 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  K.  Adger 

♦Mrs.  Harriet  G.  Powers 
♦Mrs.  Sarah  L.  Powers  . 
[Reappointed      .... 


Mrs.  Anna  W.  Homes 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Jackson     . 

♦Mrs.  H.  A.  L.  Hamlin   '. 
♦Mrs.  Harriet  M.  Hamlin 
[formerly  Miss  H.  M.  Lovell] 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Hamlin    [for- 
merly iVIiss  M.  E.  Tenney] 


June  9, 1831. 
June  9,  1831. 
Feb.  27, 1830.1 
June  6,  1832. 
Sept.  4, 1839. 
Dec.  23,  1833. 
Dec.  23, 1833. 
Jan.  19,  1834. 
Jan.  19, 1834. 
Jan.  19,  18.34. 
Jan.  19,  1834. 
Oct.  1,  1858. 
Oct.  25,  1834. 
Oct.  25, 1834. 
Jan.  12,  1835. 
Tan.  12,  1835. 
Jan.  11,  1843. 
June  25,  1866. 
Dec.  26,  1835. 
June  17.  1841. 
Feb.  1, 1836. 
Feb.  1,  1836. 
Feb.  4,  1839. 
Feb.  4,  1839. 
April  18,  1845. 

Jan.  22,  1866. 


Summer,  1865. 
Summer,  1865. 
Jan.  25, 1862. 
♦July  8.  1837. 
♦Nov.  K,  I860. 
Summer,  1844. 
Summer,  1844. 
1853. 
•        1853. 

♦Sept.  29, 1856. 


1846. 
Summer,  1861. 
April,  1841. 
June,  1861. 

Dec.  10,  1850. 
1849. 
1845. 
1845. 

♦Nov.  14, 1850 
♦Nov.  6, 1857. 


1  Dr.  Dwight  arrived  at  Malta  at  the  date  here  indicated,  but  did  not  settle  at 
ConstJintiuople  till  June  6,  1832.  The  intervening  time  was  employed  partly  in  an 
exploring  tour,  and  partly  at  Malta,  in  labors  tributary  to  the  mission. 


MISSIONARIES. 


493 


MISSION  TO  THE  ARMENIANS.  —  Continued. 


ORriAINED 

Missionaries. 


II.  J.VanLennep,  D.D. 


Wives  of  Missionaeies. 


*Mrs.  Emma  L.  Van  Lennep 
*Mrs.  Mary  E.  Van  Lennep 
Mrs.  Emily  A.  Van  Lennep 


Josiah  Peabody  .  . 
George  W.  Wood,  D.  D 
GteorgeW.  Wood, D.D. 
Daniel  Ladd  .  .  . 
♦Azariah  Smith,  M.  D. 
Edwin  E.  Bliss,  D.  D. 
E.  Riggs,  D.D.,LL.D. 

*Nathan  Benjamin  . 
*Joel  S.  Everett  .  . 
Isaac  G.  BUss,  D.D.  . 
Oliver  Crane  .  .  . 
Oliver  Crane  .  .  . 
♦Joseph  W.  Sutphen 

Wilson  A.  Farnsworth 
William  Clark  .     .     . 
Andrew  T.  Pratt,  M.  D 
George  B.  Nutting     . 


Mrs.  Mary  L.  Peabody 


Time  of 
Entering. 


*Mrs.  Martha  B.  Wood  . 
[Reappointed]  .... 
Mrs.  Sarah  A.  H.  Wood  . 
[See  Mission  to  Greece]  . 
Mrs.  Charlotte  U.  Ladd  . 


Mrs.  Corinth  I.  Smith 


Mrs.  Isabella  H.  Bliss      . 
[See  Mission  to  Greece  and 

the  Bulgarians]  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Martha  J.  Riggs  .  . 
[See  Mission  to  Greece]  . 
♦Mrs.  Mary  G.  Benjamin 


*Mrs.  Seraphina  Everett 
Mrs.  Eunice  B.  Bliss  .     . 


Mrs.  Marion  D.  Crane 
[Reappointed]  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Marion  D.  Crane 


Mrs.  Susan  H.  Sutphen  . 
[afterwards  Mrs.  Morgan] 

Mrs.  Caroline  E.  Farnsworth 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  W.  Clark 

Mrs.'Sarah  F.  Pratt    .     . 


April  13, 1840. 
April  13,  1840. 
Nov.  24, 1843. 
June  16,  1850. 
July,  1841. 
July,  1841. 
April  28,  1842. 
April  28,  1842. 

1871. 

1871. 
Sept.  3,  1842. 
Sept.  3, 1842. 
Jan.  11,  1843. 
Sept.  20, 1848. 
April  16,1843. 
April  16,  1843. 

1844. 

1844. 
August,  1844. 
August,  1844. 
April  18,  1845. 
April  18, 1845. 
Aug.  24,  1817. 
Aug.  24,  1847. 
March,  1849. 
March,  1849. 

1860. 

1860. 
Jan.  16, 1852. 
Jan.  16, 1852. 


Time  of 
Leaving. 


Summer,  1869. 
*Sept.  12, 1840. 
*Sept.  27,1844. 
Summer,  18:9. 
July,  1860. 
July,  1860. 
Sept.  4,  1850. 
Sept.  4,  1850. 


Aug.,  1867. 
Aug.,  1867. 
*June  3, 1851. 
1853. 


♦Jan.  27, 1855. 

1855. 

♦March  5, 1856. 

♦Dec.  27, 1854. 


1854. 
1854. 
1863. 
1863. 
♦Oct.  9, 1852. 


♦Fayette  Jewett,  M.  D. 
♦Jasper  N.  Ball. 
♦Jasper  N.  Ball.  .  . 
♦George  W.  Dunmore 
Albert  G.  Beebee  .  . 
George  A.  Perkins  . 
Sanford  Richardson  . 
♦Edwin  Goodell  .  . 
Benjamin  Parsons 


♦Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Nutting  . 
Mrs.  Susan  A.  Nutting    . 


♦Mrs.  Mary  A.  A.  Jewett 

♦Mrs.  Caroline  W.  Ball  . 
[Reappointed]  .... 
Mrs.  Martha  Ann  Bail    . 

Mrs.  Susan  Dunmore 

♦Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Beebee     . 

Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Perkins     . 

Mrs.  Rlioda  A.  Richardson 

Mrs.  Catharine  J.  Goodell 

Mrs.  Sarah  W.  Parsons   . 


Jan.  22,  1853. 
Jan.  22,  1853. 
Jan.  22,185:. 
Jan.  22,  1853. 
Jan.  22,  185.3. 
Jan.  22,  1853. 
Feb.  9,  1853. 
Feb.  9,  1853. 
Autumn,  1856, 
April  20,  1853. 
April  20,  1853. 
Sept.  21,  1853. 
Sept.  21,  1853. 
Jan.,  1865. 
Jan.,  1865. 
May,  1851. 
May,  1851. 
Sept.,  1854. 
Sept.,  1854. 
Sept.,  1854. 
Sept.,  1854. 
Sfept.25,  1854. 
Sept.  25,  18.54. 
Sept.  25, 1854. 
S,.pt.25,1854. 
Sept.  25,  1854. 
Sept.  25, 1854. 


Aug.,  1859. 
Aug.,  1859. 

Summer,  1868. 
♦July  9,  1854. 
Summer,  1868. 
♦June  18, 1862. 
Summer,  1862. 
Aug.,  1861. 
Aug.,  1861. 


1861. 

1856. 
March,  I860. 
♦Oct.  28,  1858. 
Spring,  1861. 
Spring,  1861. 


1856. 
1855. 
1860. 


494 


MISSIONARIES. 


MISSION  TO  THE  ARMENIAI^S.  —  Continued. 


Wives  of  Missionaeies. 


Time  op 
Leavino. 


Alexander  R.  Plumer 

Ira  Fayette  Pettibone 
Ira  Fayette  Pettibone 
Justin  W.  Parsons    . 

♦Edward  M.  Dodd     . 

Orson  P.  Allen     .     . 

♦Homer  B.  Morgan   . 

Tillman  C.  Trowbridge 

George  A.  Pollard     . 

Crosby  H.  Wheeler    . 

Charles  F.  Morse  .     . 

Oliver  W.  Winchester 

•Jackson  G.  Coffing  . 

George  H.  White  .     . 

Julius  Y.  Leonard     . 

George  Washburn     . 

Joseph  K.  Greene 

Herman  N.  Barnum 

William  F.  Arms  .     . 

Alvin  B.  Goodale,  M.  D. 

*Zenas  Qoss  .  .  . 
William  W.  Livingston 

*Wm.  F.  Williams,  D.D. 

•Augustus  Walker    . 
George  C.  Knapp  .     . 
Lysander  T.  Burbauk 
John  Francis  Smith 
Moses  P.Parmelee.M.D. 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  P.  Plumer 

[Reappointed]  .... 
[See  Mission  to  the  Jews] 
Mrs.  Catharine  Parsons  . 
[See  Mission  to  the  Jews] 
Mrs.  Lydia  H.  Dodd    .     . 

Mrs.  Caroline  R.  Allen  . 
[See  Mission  to  the  Jews] 
Mrs.  Susan  H.  Morgan  . 
[See  Mission  to  the  Jews] 
Mrs.  Margaret  Trowbridge 


Mrs.  Mary  H.  Pollard      . 

Mrs.  Susan  A.  Wheeler   . 
[See  Mission  to  Bulgarians] 
Mrs.  Eliza  D.  Morse     .     . 

Mrs.  JeannetteS.  Winchester 

Mrs.  Josephine  L.  Coffing 


Mrs.  Joanna  White     .     . 
Mrs.  Amelia  A.  Leonard 
Mrs.  Henrietta  L.Washburn 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  A.  Greene 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Barnum     . 


*Mrs.  Emily  F.  Arms  . 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Goodale 


Giles  F.  Montgomery 


Mrs.  Martha  E.  Livingston 
[See  Mission  to  Assyria]  . 
*Mrs.  Caroline  P.  Williams 
[for.  Miss  C.  P.  Barbour] 
Mrs.  Clarissa  C.  Williams 
[formerly  Miss  C.  C.  Pond] 
[See  Assyria  Mission]  .     . 
Mrs.  Eliza  M.  Walker      . 
[See  Assyria  Mission]  .     . 
Mrs.  Alzina  M.  Knapp     . 

Mrs.  Sarah  S.  Burbank    . 

Mrs.  Laura  E.  Smith  .     . 


*Mrs.  Nellie  A.  Parraelee 
Mrs.  Julia  Parmelee    .     . 


Mrs.  Emily  R.  Montgomery 


Feb.  8,  1855. 
Feb.  8,  1855. 
Aug.  4,  1855. 
May,  1866. 
Sept.,  1855. 
Sept.,  1855. 
Sept.  28,  1855. 
Sept.  28,  1855. 
Dec.  9,  1855. 
Dec.  9, 1855. 
Jan.,  1856. 
Jan.  16,  1852. 
Jan.  22,  1856. 
1861. 
Jan.  22, 1856. 
Jan.  22,  1856. 
March  2, 1867. 
March  2, 1857. 
March  2,  1867. 
March  2, 1867. 
March  2,  1857. 
March  2,  1857. 
March  2,  1867. 
March  2,  1857. 
March  2,  1857. 
March  2,  1857. 
Sept.  4,  1857. 
Sept.  4,  1857. 
August,  1858. 
April  15,  1859. 
Feb.  22, 1859. 
Feb.  22,  1859. 
Autumn,  1868. 
July,  1860. 


Mar.  25, 18i;0. 
Mar.  25,  ISoO. 
Mar.  25,  1860. 
Sept.  3,  1860. 
Sept.  3,  1860. 
Nov.,  1860. 
Oct.  4,  1861. 

Oct.  15, 1864. 

Nov.,  I860. 
Nov.,  1«60. 
Nov.,  18(30. 
Nov.,  186:1. 
Oct.  13..  1860. 
Oct.  13,  1860. 
July  8,  18f^3. 
July  8,  1863. 
Aw.  14,  1863. 
Aug.  14,  1863. 
Sept.,  1871. 
Dec,  1863. 
Dec.  1863. 


*Aug.  19, 1865. 
June,  1866. 


*Aug. 


June,  1865. 
June,  1865. 
*Mar.  26, 18 

Autumn,  18 
Autumn,- 18 


1864. 
♦March,  1861. 

1864. 

1864. 
»Aug.  28, 1864. 

1871. 

1871. 
*Feb.  14,  1871. 
*Jan.  15,  1866. 
Dec.  25,  1857. 

1871. 

»Sept.  13, 1866. 
July,  1867. 


1871. 
1871. 


*Feb.  17, 1870. 


MISSIONARIES. 


495 


MISSION  TO   THE  ARMENIANS.  —  Continued. 


Ordainkd 
Missionaries. 


Wives  op  Missionaeies. 


Time  of 
Leaving. 


•Walter  H.  Giles  . 
Lucien  H.  Adams 


Albert  Bryant  .  .  . 
Henry  T.  Perry  .  . 
Theodore  A.  Baldwin 
Henry  S.  Barnum 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  F.  Giles    . 

*Mrs.  Augusta  S.  Adams 
Mrs.  Nancy  D.  Adams  [for- 
merly Miss  N.  D.  Fraucis] 


Mrs.  Mary  E.  I.  Bryant  . 

Mrs.  Jennie  H.  Perry 

Mrs.  Matilda  J.  Baldwin 

*Mrs.  Lucretia  L.  Barnum 
Mrs.  Helen  P.  Barnum    . 


Charles  C.  Tracy  . 
Lyman  Bartlett    . 
Alpheus  N.  Andrus 
Carmi  C.  Thayer  . 
John  Edwin  Pierce 
Koyal  M.  Cole  .     . 
Theodore  S.  Poud 
Milan  H.  Hitchcock 
Edward  Riggs  .     . 
Henry  Marden 
John  Otis  Barrows 


Mrs.  Lemyra  A.  Tracy     . 
Mrs.  Cornelia  C.  Bartlett 


Mrs.  Louisa  M.  Audrus  . 
Mrs.  Mary  P.  Thayer 
Mrs.  Lizzie  A.  Pierce  .  . 
Mrs.  Lizzie  C.  Cole  .  . 
Mrs.  Julia  J.  Pond  .  . 
Mrs.  Lucy  A.  Hitchcock 


Mrs.  Sarah  H.  Riggs  . 
Mrs.  Mary  L.  Marden 
Mrs.  Clara  S.  Barrows 


Missionary  Phtsicians. 
Henry  S.  West,  M.  D. 
D.  H.  Nutting,  M.  D. 
*H.  B.  Haskell,  M.  D. 
James  A.  Milne,  M.  D. 
Geo.  C.  Reynolds,  M.  D 


Mrs.  Lottie  M.  West   . 
[See  Assyria  Mission] 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Nutting 
[See  Assyria  Mi.ssion] 
Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Haskell 


Mrs.  Arabella  Milne 


Mrs.  Martha  W.  Reynolds 
Mary  L.  Wadsworth,  M.  D 


AssiSTAST  Missionaries. 


Homan  Hallock 


I  [See  Print.  Estab.  at  Malta] 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hallock  . 


Nov.  17,  1864. 
Nov.  17, 1864. 
June  9, 1865. 
June  9, 1865. 
June  25,  1866. 

Oct.  28,  1865. 
Oct.  28, 1865. 
Jan.  11,  1867. 
Jan.  11,  1867. 
Aug.  9,  1867. 
Aug.  9,  1867. 
Aug.  10,  1867. 
Aug.  10,  1867. 
1869 
October,  1867. 
October,  1867. 
Nov.  8,  1867. 
Nov.  8,  1867. 
May  30,  1868. 
May  30,  1868. 
July,  1868. 
July,  1868. 
Sept.,  1868. 
Sept.,  1868. 
Sept.,  1868. 
Sept.,  1868. 
Dec.  13,  1868. 
Dec.  13,  1868. 
June  5,  1869. 
June  5,  1869. 
July,  1869. 
July,  1869. 
Oct.  15, 1869. 
Oct.  15,  1869. 
Dec.  23, 1869. 
Dec.  23,  1869. 


♦May  21, 1867. 
*Nov.  18, 1866. 


June,  1868. 
June,  1868. 


Feb.,  1859. 

Feb.,  1859. 

Nov.,  1860. 

Nov.,  1860. 

Nov.,  1860. 

Summer 

1861. 

Nov.,  1860. 

Summer 

1861. 

Aug.,  1867. 

186H. 

Aug.,  1867. 

1868. 

Nov.  26, 1869. 

Nov.  26, 1869. 

June,  1871. 

Dec.,  1833. 

1841. 

Dec,  1833. 

1841. 

496 


MISSIONARIES. 


MISSION  TO  THE  ARMENIANS.  —  CoNTiinjED. 


Assistant  Missionaries. 


Time  op 
Entebino. 


Time  op 
Leavuio. 


Henry  0.  Dwight 


*Miss  Harriet  M.  Lovell 
[afterwards  Mrs.  Hamlin) 

*Mrs.  Sarah  C.  Hinsdale 
[widow   of    Rev.    A.    K 
Hinsdale] 

Miss  Melvina  Haynes  .     . 

Miss  Maria  A.  West     .     . 

Miss  Isabella  H.  Goodell 

Miss  Mary  E.  Goodell  [after- 
wards Mrs.  H.  N.  Barnum] 

Miss  Mary  E.  Tenney 
[afterwards  Mrs.  Hamlin] 

Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth  West 

Miss  Myra  A.  Proctor 

Miss  Arabella  L.  Babcock 

Miss  Ann  Eliza  Fritcher  . 

Miss  Clarissa  0.  Pond  [after- 
wards Mrs.W.  P.  Williams] 

Miss  Nancy  D.  Francis    [af- 
terwards Mrs.  L.  H.  Adamsl 

*Miss  Mary  E.  Warfield  . 

Miss  Harriet  Seymour     . 

Miss  Sarah  Ann  Closson 

Miss  Mary  G.  HoUister    . 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Dwight 
Miss  Rebecca  D.  Tracy     . 
Miss  Charlotte  Elizab.  Ely 
Miss  Mary  A.  C.  Ely   .     . 
Miss  Harriet  G.  Powers    . 
Miss  Oyrene  0.  Van  Duzee 
Miss  Olive  L.  Parmelee    . 
Miss  Isabella  C.  Baker     . 
Mi.ss  Flavia  S.  Bliss    .     . 
Miss  Ursula  C.  Clarke 
Miss  Ardelle  M.  Griswold 
Miss  Caroline  E.  Bush     . 
Miss  Julia  A.  Rapplcye    . 
Miss  Sarah  L.  Wood    .     .    » 
Miss  Julia  A.  Shearman  . 
Miss  Cornelia  P.  Dwight 
Miss  Mary  S.  Williams     . 
Miss  Mary  M.  Patrick 


April  18, 1845 
1845. 


Jan.  22, 1853. 

Jan.  22, 1853. 
1855, 
1855 

Jan.  22, 1856. 

Jan.  22,  1856. 
July  28,  1859. 
Sept.,  1862. 
July  8, 1863. 
Oct.  15, 1864. 

June  25,  1866. 

April  27, 1867. 
April  27,  1867. 
Nov.  8,  1867. 
Dec,  1867. 
Dec,  1867. 
Dec,  1867. 
Sept.,  1868. 
Sept.,  1868. 
Sept.,  1868. 
Sept.,  1868. 
Sept.,  1868. 
Oct.,  1868. 
Oct.,  1868. 
Nov.,  1868. 
Nov.  18,  1868. 
Oct.  15,  1869. 
Aug.  27, 1870. 
Nov.  11, 1870. 
Nov.  11, 1870. 
Jan.,  1871. 

May,  1871. 
Sept.  21, 1871. 


,  1857. 
1855. 


July,  1856. 


Sept.,  1862. 
May,  1864. 

1871. 


1873. 


ASSYRIA  MISSION. 


Ordained 

Missionaries. 

Wives  op  Missionaries. 

Time  op 
Entering. 

Time  op 
Leaving. 

Dwight  W.  Marsh     . 
•Wni.t.  Williams,  D.D. 

Mar.  29, 1850. 
May  9,  1853. 
May,  1851. 
May,  1851. 
Nov.,  1857. 

♦Mrs.  Julia  W.  Marsh     . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
*Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Williams 
♦Mrs.  Harriet  B.  Williams 

*Aug.  12, 1869. 

*Jnly  1, 1854. 
*Dec.  25,  1867 

MISSIONARIES. 


497    ' 


ASSYRIA  MISSION. —Continued. 


Wives  of  Missionaries. 


*Henry  Lobdell,  M.  D. 
*AugUBtus  Walker  . 
Steorge  C.  Knapp  .     . 


Mrs.  Lucy  C.  Lobdell  .     . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Eliza  M.  Walker      . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Alzina  M.  Knapp     . 


Mbsiokart  Phtsioians. 


D.  H.  Nutting,  M.  D. 
♦Henri  B.  Haskell,  M.D, 


[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Nutting     . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Haskell     . 


May  8, 1852. 
May  8,  1852. 
April  27,  1853. 
April,  1853. 
April  5,  1856. 
April  6, 1856. 


Sept.,  1854. 
Sept.,  1854. 
April  19,  1856. 
April  19, 1856. 


*Mar.  25, 1855. 
Summer,  1860. 


MISSION  TO  THE  JEWS. 


Ordained 
Missionaries. 


Wives  op  Missionaries. 


Wm.  G.  SchauflBer,  D.D. 

*Eliphal  Maynard  . 

♦Edward  M.  Dodd  . 

Justin  W.  Parsons  . 

•Homer  B.  Morgan  . 


[See  Mission  to  Mohammed- 
ans] 
Mrs.  Mary  R.  Schauffler 

Mrs.  Celestia  A.  Maynard 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Lydia  H.  Dodd   .     . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Catharine  Parsons  . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
*Mr8.  Harriet  G.  Morgan 
Mrs.  Susan  H.  Morgan     . 
[formerly  Mrs.  Sutphen] 


July  31, 1832. 

Feb.  26,  1834. 
April  2, 1849. 
April  2, 1849. 
April  2,  1849. 
April  2,  1849. 
June  24,  1850. 
June  24, 1850. 
Feb.  16,  1852. 
Feb.  16,  1852. 
Nov.  7, 1853. 


♦Sept.  14,1849. 


♦Sept.  10, 1852. 


MISSION  TO  THE  MOHAMMEDANS. 


Ordained 
Missionaries. 

Wives  of  Missionaries. 

Time  of 
Entering. 

Time  of 
Leaving. 

James  Lyman  Merrick 
Wm.G.  Schauffler, D.D. 
William  Hutchison 

[See  Mission  to  Nestorians] 
Mrs.  Emma  Merrick  .     .     . 
[See  Mission  to  the  Jews] 
Mrs.  Mary  K.  Schauffler 

Oct.  25, 1835. 
Mar.  11, 1839. 
May,  1858. 
May,  1858. 
Nov.  14,  1858. 
Nov.  14,  1858. 
Dec.  2,  1859. 
Aug.,  1861. 
June  3, 1865. 
June  3, 1865. 

Dec,  1842. 
Dec,  1841. 

April,  1859. 
April,  1859 

Qeorge  F.  Herrlck    . 
Henry  A.  Schauffler  . 

Mrs.  Foresta  a.  Hutchison 

Mrs.  Helen  M.  Herrick    . 
[See  Mission  to  Bulgarians] 
Mrs.  Clara  E.  Schauffler 

498 


MISSIONARIES. 


MISSION  TO  THE   NESTORIANS. 


Wives  op  Missionaeies. 


Time  op 
Entering. 


•Justin  Perkins,  D.  D. 
♦Albert  L.  HoUaday  . 
*WiUiam  R.  Stocking 
*Willard  Jones  .  . 
*A.  H.  Wright,  M.  D. 
*Abel  K.  Hinsdale     . 


♦Colby  C.  Mitchell  . 
♦James  Lyman  Merrick 

Thomas  Laurie,  D.  D. 
♦David  T.  Stoddard  . 

♦Joseph  Q.  Cochran 
George  W.  Coan  .  . 
♦Samuel  A.  Rhea  .     . 


♦Edwin  H.  Crane  . 


♦Thomas  L.  Ambrose 
John  H.  Shedd     .     . 


♦Amherst  L.  Thompson 
Benjamin  Labaree     . 
Henry  N.  Cobb     .     . 


Mrs.  Charlotte  Perkins  . 
Mrs.  Anne  Y.  Holladay  . 
Mrs.  Jervtsha  R.  Stocking 
Mrs.  Miriam  Jones      .     . 


Mrs.  Catharine  A.  Wright 


*Mra.  Sarah  C.  Hinsdale 
[See  Iilission  to  Armenians] 


♦Mrs.  Eliza  A.  Mitchell    . 
[See  Mission  to  Mohammed- 
ans.] 
♦Mrs.  Emma  Merrick  .     . 
[See  Mission  to  Syria] 
♦Mrs.  Martha  F.  Laurie  . 


♦Mrs.  Harriet  Stoddard  . 
Mrs.  Sophia  D.  Stoddard 


Mrs.  Deborah  W.  Cochran 
Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Coan    .     . 


♦Mrs.  Martha  Ann  Rhea 
Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Rhea    . 


♦Mrs.  Ann  E.  Crane  [after- 
wards Mrs.  P.  0.  Powers] 


Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Shedd  . 
Mrs.  Esther  E.  Thompson 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  E.  Labaree 
Mrs.  Matilda  E.  Cobb      . 


Missionary  Phtsicians. 
♦Asahel  Grant,  M.  D. 


*F.  N.  H.  Young,  M.  D 
T.L.  VanNorden.M.D. 


♦Mrs.  Judith  S.  Grant    . 
Mrs.  Mary  M.  Van  Norden 


Assistant  Missionaries. 


♦Edwin  Breath 


[Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Breath 
l»Miss  FideUaFiske     . 


Nov.,  1835. 
Nov.,  1835. 
June  7, 1S37. 
June  7, 1837. 
June  7, 1837. 
June  7, 1837. 
Nov.  17,  1839. 
Nov.  17, 1839. 
July  25, 1840. 
June  14,  1843. 
June,  1841. 
June,  1841. 

June,  1841. 
June,  1841. 
Dec,  1^42. 

Dec.,  1842. 
Nov.  11,  l'^42. 
Nov.  11,  1842. 
June  14, 1843. 
June  14, 1843. 
June  26,  1851. 
Sept.  27, 1847. 
Sept.  27,  1848. 
Oct.  13,  1849. 
Oct.  13, 1849. 
June  26, 1851. 
July  1,  1852. 
Oct.  25,  1860. 
Oct.  20, 1852. 
Oct.  20, 1852. 

Nov.  27, 1858. 
Nov.  11,  1859. 
Nov.  11,  1859. 
July  2,  1860. 
July  2,  1860. 
Oct.  25, 1860. 
Oct.  25, 1860. 
Oct.  25, 1860. 
Oct.  26, 1860. 


Oct.  15, 1835. 
Oct.  15, 1835. 
Oct.  25,  1860. 
Oct.  6, 1866. 
Oct.  6, 1866. 


Nov.  7, 1840. 
Oct.  13, 1849. 
June  14,  1843. 


May  28, 1869. 

1857 
Spring,  1846. 
Spring,  1846. 
June,  1853. 
June,  1853. 

1844. 
Winter,  1844. 
♦Jan.  4,  1865. 
August,  1859. 
♦Dec.  26,  1842. 
Oct.  21, 1844. 

♦June  27, 1841. 
♦July  12,  1841. 
Summer,  1845. 

Summer,  1845. 
Nov.  10,  1844. 
♦Dec.  16,  1843. 
♦Jan.  26, 1857. 
♦Aug.  2, 1848. 
July,  1858. 
♦Nov.  2, 1871. 


♦Sept.  2, 1865. 
♦Sept.  16,1857. 
May,  1869. 
♦Aug.  27, 1854. 
Nov.,  1857. 

August,  1861. 


♦Aug.  25, 1860. 
Summer,  1861. 


♦April  24, 1844. 
♦Jan.  14,  1839. 


♦Nov.  18, 1861, 
Summer,  1862 
July  16,  1858. 


MISSIONARIES.  499 

MISSION  TO  THE  NESTORIANS.  —  Continued. 


Assistant  Missionaries. 


Time  op 
Enterino. 


TaiE  OF 

Leaving. 


Miss  Catharine  A.  Myers 

June  14, 1843. 

August,  1859. 

[afterwards  Mrs.  Wright] 

Miss  Mary  Susan  Rice      . 

Nov.  20,  1847. 

*Miss  Martha  Ann  Harris 

July  1, 1852. 

*Sept.  16, 1857. 

[afterwards  Mrs.  Rhea.] 

Bliss  Aura  Jeannette  Beach 

July  2,  18G0. 

Sept.,  1862. 

*Miss  Harriet  N.  Crawford 

July  2, 1860. 

May,  1865. 

Miss  Nancy  Jane  Dean    . 

Oct.  19,  1868. 

IVIISSIOlSr  TO  THE  BULGARIANS. 


Ordained 

Missionaries. 


Wives  op  Missionaries. 


Charles  F.  Morse  .  . 
Theodore  L.  Byington 
♦William  W.  Meriam 
James  F.  Clarke  .  . 
William  F.  Arms  .  . 
Oliver  Crane  .  .  . 
Henry  C.  Haskell  . 
♦Jasper  N.  BaU  .  . 
Lewis  Bond  .  .  . 
Wm.  Edwin  Locke  . 
Henry  Pitt  Page  .  . 
EUasRiggs,D.D.,LL.D. 
Henry  A.  Schauffler 


Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Byington 
*Mrs.  Susan  Meriam  .     . 
Mrs.  Isabella  G.  Clarke  . 


*Mrs.  Emily  Arms.     .    . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Marion  D.  Crane     . 

Mrs.  Margaret  H.  Haskell 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Martha  A.  Ball   .     . 


Mrs.  Fannie  G.  Bond  . 
Mrs.  Zoe  A.  M.  Locke 


Mrs.  Mary  A.  Page      .     . 
[See  Mission  to  Armenians] 
Mrs.  Martha  J.  Riggs 
[See  Mission  to  Mohammed- 
ans.] 
Mrs.  Clara  E.  Schauffler 


Assistant  Missionaries. 


♦Miss  Mary  E.  Reynolds 
♦Miss  Roseltha  N.  Norcross 
Miss  Minnie  C.  Beach 
Miss  Esther  T.  Maltbie    . 
Mrs.  Anna  V.  Mumford  . 


Mar.  26,  1858. 

Mar.  26,  1858. 

Sept.  4,  1858. 

Sept.  4, 1858. 

April  22,  1859. 

April  22,  1859. 

Oct.,  1859. 

Oct.,  1859. 

July,  1860. 

July,  1860. 

Sept.  19,  1860. 

Sept.  19, 1860 

Dec.  13,  1862. 

Dec.  13,  1862. 

Jan.,  1865. 

Jan.,  1865. 

May  29, 1868. 

May  29, 1868. 

June,  1868. 

June,  1868. 

Nov.  26, 1868. 

Nov.  26,  1868. 
1871 
1871 
1871, 

1871 


July  8. 1863. 
April  27, 1867. 
Oct.  15,  1869. 
Nov.  11, 1870. 
1871. 


1870. 

1870. 

1867. 

1867. 
♦July  3, 1862. 
♦July  25, 1862. 


June,  1862. 
♦Mar.  31, 1861. 

Aug.,  1868. 
Aug.,  1863. 


♦Nov.  4,  1870. 


500       MISSIONS  TO  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

ADDENDA. 

The  foregoing  Tabular  View  of  the  Missionaries  was  made 
partly  for  the  author's  convenience  on  commencing  the  second 
volume,  by  the  very  accurate  gentleman  who  prepared  the  List 
of  Publications  that  follows.  Such  a  statement  is  very  difficult 
to  make;  and  it  may  be,  after  aU  the  subsequent  corrections, 
that  there  are  omissions  and  errors.  Should  they  be  seasonably 
pointed  out,  the  corrections  will  be  made  in  a  subsequent  edi- 
tion. 

The  following  should  have  had  a  place,  under  the  head  of  the 
Mission  to  the  Armenians,  namely  :  — 

Rev.  William  A.  Spavdding,  who  sailed  in  November,  1871. 

Mrs.  Georgia  D.  Spaulding. 

Rev.  Joseph  E.  Scott,  who  sailed  in  February,  1872. 

Mrs.  Annie  E.  Scott. 

Assistant  Missionaries. 
Miss  Laura  Famham,  who  sailed  November,  1871. 
Miss  Phebe  L.  Cull,  who  sailed  November,  1871. 


PUBLICATIONS. 


CATALOGUE   OF   PUBLIOATIOE"S 

ISSUED  FROM   THE   MISSION   PRESSES   CONNECTED 

WITH  THE  MISSIONS  OF   THE  BOARD  TO  THE 

SEVERAL  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

Compiled  by  Rev.  John  A.  Vinton,  Winchester,  Mass. 

The  sources  of  information  were  the  "  Missionary  Herald " 
from  1821,  and  the  Annual  Reports  of  the  Board  from  the  be- 
ginning of  these  missions  to  the  year  1871. 

IN   ITALIAN. 

The  Sabbath.  '^^^ 

Dr.  Payson's  Address  to  Mariners. 

Prayers  for  the  Seven  Days  of  the  Week. 

Dr.  Ashbel  Green's  Questions  and  Counsel  '/ 

The  Dairyman's  Daughter,  78  pages,  1,000  copies.       ■^  €^l 

William  Kelley,  32  pages,  500  copies. 

The  Progress  of  Sin,  16  pages,  500  copies. 

Dialogue  between  a  Traveller  and  Yourself,  12  pages,  500  copies. 

The  Novelty  of  Popery. 

An  Address  to  the  Children  of  Israel,  25  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  16  pages,  1,000  copies. 

The  Negro  Servant,  28  pages,  1,000  copies. 

The  Young  Cottager,  72  pages,  1,000  copies. 

The  Shepherd  of  Salisbury  Plain,  12  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Serious  Thoughts  on  Eternity,  12  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Dialogue  between  Two  Sailors,  18  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Previous  to  November,  1827,  the  number  of  books  and  tracts 
printed  at  the  Mission  Press  in  ItaUan,  was  43  ;  number  of  con- 
secutive pages,  1,430  ;  of  copies,  55,500  ;  whole  number  of  pages, 
1,700,000. 


604  CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS. 


IN   MODERN    GREEK. 

The  Dairyman's  Daughter,  119  pp. 
[iAfru.  EU^ui"^         The  Negro  Servant,  32  pp.     '     • 

iXi^  Pay  son's  Address  to  Mariners,  22  pp.  ''<?-  3 

Short  Prayers  for  Every  Day  in  the  Week,  70  pp.   -  '. 

Tract  on  Redemption,  by  Dr.  Naudi,  72  pp. 

Sixteen  Short  Sermons,  48  pp. 

Progress  of  Sin,  20  pp. 

Dialogue  between  a  Traveller  and  Yourself,  14  pp. 

Life  and  Martyrdom  of  John  the  Baptist,  28  pp. 

Serious  Thoughts  on  Eternity,  16  pp. 

The  Young  Cottager,  87  pp. 

The  Shepherd  of  Sahsbury  Plain,  73  pp. 

William  Kelley,  45  pp.    ' 

Watts's  Catechism  for  Children,  16  pp. 

Address  to  the  Children  of  Israel,  34  pp. 

Chrysostom  on  Reading  the  Scriptures,  26  pp. 

Content  and  Discontent,  by  Mi-s.  Sherwood,  24  pp. 

Serious  Address  to  Young  and  Old,  27  pp. 

Life  of  James  Covey,  a  converted  Sailor,  1 6  pp. 

Life  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  from  the  Bible  only,  20  pp. 

An  Appeal  to  the  Heart,  34  jjp. 

Exhortation  to  Seamen,  20  pp. 

Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  16  pp. 

The  following  were  printed  from  1830  to  1833  :  — 

Historical  Selections  from  the  Old  Testament,  84  pp. 

Life  of  Abraham,  36  pp. 

Life  of  Joseph,  60  pp. 

Life  of  Moses,  36  pp. 

Life  of  Samuel,  24  pp. 

Life  of  David,  64  pp. 

Life  of  Elijah. 

Life  of  Elisha. 

Life  of  Daniel,  36  pp. 

Life  of  Esther,  20  pp. 

Abridgment  of  the  Old  Testament,  140  pp. 

Abridgment  of  the  Gospels,  48  pp. 


CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS.  605 

Abridgment  of  the  Acts,  60  pp. 

Lessons  for  Children. 

Bickersteth's  Scripture  Help,  abridged. 

Ljrttelton  on  the  Conversion  of  St.  Paul. 

The  Ten  Commandments. 

Ecclesiastical  History. 

Dialogues  on  Grammar. 

The  Alphabetarion,  1 20  pp. 

The  Greek  Reader,  156  pp. 

The  Little  Philosopher,  72  pp. 

The  Child's  Assistant,  60  pp. 

The  Child's  Arithmetic,  48  pp. 

Adams's  Arithmetic. 

History  of  Greece. 

History  of  Rome. 

History  of  England. 

History  of  France. 

History  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

History  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

The  Priest  and  Catechiunen,  a  Dialogue,  12  pp. 

Peter  Parley's  Geography,  with  Uthographed  maps,  108  pp. 

Pinnock's  Catechism  of  Greek  History,  with  remarks,  150  pp. 

The  amount  printed  in  Modern  Greek,  while  the  press  re- 
mained at  Malta,  was  about  350,000  copies,  mostly  12mo,  com- 
prising 21,000,000  pages.  Many  of  the  editions  were  of  4,000 
copies  each.  In  the  year  ending  October  1831,  4,760,000  pages 
were  printed. 

After  the  removal  of  the  press  to  Smyrna,  in  December,  1833, 
there  were  printed  in  Modern  Greek,  — 

Woodbridge's  Geography,  296  pp. 
Scriptural  Teacher,  116  pp. 
Questions  on  the  Pentateuch,  88  pp. 
Several  Hymns  for  the  Mission -Schools. 
Child's  Book  on  the  Soul. 
Tract  on  Self-Examination. 
Difficulties  of  Infidelity. 

The  Magazine  of  Useful  Knowledge  —  a  monthly  pubhcation 
commenced  in  1836  or  1837,  and  continued  till  1843,  when 


506  CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS. 

it  was  transferred  to  Mr.  Nicholas  Petrokokino.     It  had,  in 
1839,  1,200  subscribers. 

About  thirty  million  pages  in  Modern  Greek  had  been  printed 
by  the  mission  between  July  1822  and  1837. 

At  Smyrna,  in  1847  and  1848,  were  printed,  Earth's  Church 
History,  354  pages,  3,000  copies;  1,062,000  pages. 

At  Constantinople,  after  the  removal  of  the  press,  in  1853; 
Hymn  Book,  112  pages,  2,000  copies;   224,000  pages. 

In  1 854,  a  tract  of  20  pages,  2,000  copies ;  40,000  pages. 

In  1860,  tracts,  5,000  copies,  40,000  pages. 

In  1863,  tracts,     ....     6,000  pages. 

Printing  in  Modern  Greek,  at  Athens,  under  the  supervision 
of  Dr.  King  :  — 

Up  to  1844,  32  books  and  tracts,  3,717  consecutive  pages,  128,- 

215  pages  in  the  whole. 
In  1845,  2,000  copies,  664,000  pages. 
In  1846,  3,000  copies,  190,500  pages. 
In  1853  to  1856,  a  collection  of  the  pubhcations  of  the  American 

Tract  Society,  vol.  I. — V.,  making  2,500  consecutive  pages 

of  the  five  volumes. 
In  1855,  Chrysostom  on  Reading  the  Scriptures,  180  pages. 
Two  volumes  of  Sermons,  48  in  number,  by  Dr.  King. 
A  volume  of  Miscellanies,  including  his  Farewell  Letter  to  his 

Friends  in  Palestine  and  Syria. 

in  gr^co-turkish  (the  turkish  language  in  greek 
letters). 

Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  16  pages,  450  copies. 

History  of  Moses,  of  Samuel,  of  Elijah,  of  Elisha,  of  Daniel,  of 
Esther ;  each  a  volume  by  itself;  total,  524,000  pages. 

From  1840  to  1853,  were  printed  55,000  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

In    1854   and    1855,  the  Bible  in  8vo,  7,000  copies,  2,456,000 
pages. 

In  1864,  72  pages,  3,000  copies ;  in  all,  216,000  pages. 

In  1867,  the  Tract  Primer,  5,000  copies,  340,000  pages. 

In  1869,  a  Hymn  Book,  264  pages,  2,000  copies  ;    528,000  pages. 


CATALOGUE  OF  PUBLICATIONS.  507 


IN   ANCIENT   ARMENIAN. 

The  New  Testament,  836  pages,  2,000  copies.   At  Smyrna,  1838. 
The  Four  Gospels,  printed  separately,  1,000  copies. 
The  Acts  and  Epistles,  of  the  same  edition,  1,500  copies,  in  1843. 
The   Psalter,    274   pages,   total    548,000    pages;    3,000   copies 

printed  in  1841  ;  2,000  copies  in  1846. 
The  New  Testament,  2,000  copies,  1,464,000  pages  ;  in  1853. 
The  Christian  Teacher,  136  pages,  500  copies;  in  1838. 
Daily  Food  for  Christians,  62  pages,  1,000  copies  ;  in  1838. 
In  1869,  printed  268  consecutive  pages  and  4,250  copies. 

IN   MODERN   ARMENIAN. 

Abercrombie  on  Mental  Culture,  84  pages,  1,500  copies  ;  126,000 
pages.     Printed  in  1844,  at  the  expense  of  the  author. 

Against  Infidelity,  16  pages,  3,000  copies. 

Almanac  for  1837,  3,000  copies. 

Almanac  for  1839,  1,000  copies. 

An  Arithmetic,  1866. 

An  occasional  paper,  4to,  20  pages,  500  copies. 

Answer  of  Evangelical  Armenians  to  the  Patriarch's  Manifesto, 
104  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Anxious  Inquirer. 

Assembly's  Shorter  Catechism,  with  references,  104  pages,  2,000 
copies. 

Astronomy,  104  pages,  3,000  copies. 

Avedaper  (The),  or  Messenger,  a  religious  periodical  in  Mod- 
ern Armenian,  and  in  Armeno-Turkish.  Published  since 
January,  1855 ;  once  in  two  weeks,  with  a  ch'culation,  in 
each  language,  of  1,000  copies. 

Balbaith's  Confession,  in  the  form  of  a  letter  from  a  converted 
Jew,  giving  reasons  for  his  profession  of  Christianity,  62 
pages,  4,000  copies. 

Baptism  and  the  New  Birth,  112  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Baxter's  Saints'  Rest.     1854. 

Bible  Dictionary.     1854. 

Bible  Hand-book,  240  pages,  300  copies. 

British  Martyrology.     1850. 

Child's  Entertainer,  296  pages,  1,000  copies,  containing  Watts's 


608  CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS. 

Divine  and  Moral  Songs  in  Armenian  verse,  evangelical  anec- 
dotes, some  natural  history,  etc.     1838. 

Child's  Instructor,  74  pages. 

Concordance  to  the  Bible,  8vo,  504  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Dairyman's  Daughter,  48  pages,  3,000  copies. 

Evidences  of  Christianity. 

False  Claims  of  the  Pope,  77  pages.  It  has  been  published  in 
English  by  the  American  Tract  Society. 

Five  Wounds  (The)  of  Conscience,  by  Flavel,  1,500  copies. 

Forever  !  4  pages,  4,000  copies. 

Friendly  Letters  to  Sufferers  by  the  late  Fire,  16  pages,  500 
copies. 

Good  Works ;  a  Tract  on  Justification,  48  pages,  4,000  copies. 

Grammar,  English  and  Armenian  ;  112  pages,  500  copies. 
Another  edition  of  272  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Guide  to  Parents,  61  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Guide  to  Repentance,  288  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Handbills,  (four)  each  one  page,  containing,  The  Decalogue  :  A 
Contrast  between  the  Deaths  of  Haliburton  and  Voltaire ; 
The  Christian  Sabbath ;  The  Death-bed  of  a  Modern  Free- 
thinker ;  4,000  copies. 

History  of  the  Chui'ch  of  God. 

History  of  Joseph,  326  pages,  3,000  copies. 

History  of  the  Reformation,  by  Merle  d'Aubigne.  In  2  vols. 
8vo,  with  an  Appendix  of  50  pages,  1,000  copies.  1846.  An 
enlarged  edition  was  printed  in  1866. 

Holy  Sphit,  a  Work  on  the,  1850. 

Hymns,  25  pages,  500  copies. 

Jones's  (Rev.  C.  C.)  Catechism,  203  pages,  4,000  copies. 

Joy  in  Heaven,  24  pages,  3,000  copies. 

Key  to  Reading,  8  pages,  1,500  copies. 

Lancasterian  Cards,  80  to  the  set.    100  sets. 

Light  of  the  Soul,  46  pages,  3,000  copies. 

Lives  of  the  Patriarchs  and  Prophets,  300  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Lord's  Supper,  Treatise  on  the,  84  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Mary  Lothrop,  96  pages,  3,000  copies. 

Messenger,  The.     See  Avedaper. 

Mother  at  Home,  288  pages,  300  copies. 

Monthly  Evangelical  Preacher,  commenced  January,  1845,  and 
suspended  at  the  close  of  the  year,  284  pages,  1 ,000  copies. 


CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS.  r)09 

Monthly  Magazine,  four  vols.,  for  1839-1842.  The  first  year, 
1,100  copies,  each  following  year,  1,500.  ReUnquished  for 
want  of  funds.     Resumed  1844,  continued  till  1846. 

New  Testament,  646  pages,  5,000  copies  in  1842  and  1843. 

A  new  translation,  carefully  executed  by  four  of  the  best 
scholars  in  the  Armenian  nation,  and  compared  by  Dr. 
Adger,  word  by  word,  with  the  original  Greek. 

New  Testament,  with  marginal  references,  and  parallel  passages. 
Prepared  by  Dr.  Adger  and  Dr.  Riggs.  948  pages.  1848 
and  1849. 

New  Testament,  in  the  Ararat  or  Eastern  Dialect  of  the  Modern 
Armenian,  with  Scripture  references,  8,000  copies. 

New  Testament,  in  the  Ararat  or  Eastern  Dialect  of  the  Modern 
Armenian,  with  the  Ancient  Armenian,  in  parallel  columns. 

Old  Testament,  in  four  volumes,  500  copies. 

Old  Testament,  imperial  edition,  5,000  copies. 

Payson's  Thoughts,  180  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Pentateuch,  684  pages,  1,500  copies. 

Progress  of  Sin,  24  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Pilgrim's  Progress,  with  notes,  814  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Protestant  Confessions,  265  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Psalter,  in  the  Western  Dialect  of  the  Modern  Armenian,  275 
pages,  3,000  copies. 

Psalter,  in  the  Ararat  or  Eastern  Dialect  of  the  Modern  Arme- 
nian, 275  pages,  5,000  copies. 

Reply  to  Archbishop  Matteos. 

Scripture  Rule  of  Faith,  364  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Scripture  Texts,  56  pages,  500  copies. 

Scripture  Text  Book,  622  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Sermon  for  the  "Whole  World,  16  pages,  2,000  copies.  It  is  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

Sin  no  Trifle,  16  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Spelling  Book,  60  pages.     At  least  four  editions. 

Sunday-school  Hymn  Book,  Svo,  134  pages,  8,000  copies. 

Sunday-school  Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  8vo,  128  pages,  5,000 
copies. 

The  Two  Lambs,  48  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Tract  on  Self-Examination,  52  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Upham's  Intellectual  Philosophy. 


610  CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS. 

Vivian's  Three  Dialogues,  between  a  Minister  and  his  Parish- 
ioner, 2,0Q0  copies. 
What  must  I  do  ?    20  pages,  2,000  copies. 
What  is  it  to  believe  ?  12  pages,  5,000  copies. 
Whateley's  Evidences  of  Christianity,  192  pages,  2,000  copies. 
There  were  also  many  common  school  books. 

The  sum  total  of  printing  in  the  Modern  Armenian,  in  the 
year  1869,  was  1,865  consecutive  pages,  and  25,920  copies. 

LN    ARMENO-TURKISH. 

Printing  in  this  language  was  commenced  at  Malta  in  1828. 
In  August,  1829,  the  number  of  publications  was  nineteen.  The 
printing  of  the  Armeno-Turkish  New  Testament  was  begun  Jan- 
uary 8,  1830,  and  the  last  sheet  was  corrected  before  the  close 
of  January,  1831.  A  second  edition  of  the  same  was  printed  at 
Smyrna  in  1843,  consisting  of  4,000  copies.  The  Old  Testament 
was  printed  at  Smyrna  in  1841,  3,000  copies.  The  Pentateuch 
was  printed  in  a.  separate  form,  2,000  copies.  The  Book  of 
Psalms,  in  a  separate  form,  was  printed  in  1844,  2,000  copies. 

The  following  publications  have  also  been  issued  :  — 

Abbot's  Young  Christian,  350  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Arithmetic,  66  pages,  3,000  copies. 

Avedaper  (Messenger),  a  monthly  magazine.     See  Avedaper  in 

the  preceding  list. 
Earth's  Church  History,  408  pages,  1,000  copies. 
Bogue's  Essay,  444  pages,  1,000  copies. 
Capadose,  Dr.,  Memoir  of,  52  pages,  1,000  copies. 
Catechism  on  Christ,  82  pages,  1,000  copies. 
Chrysostom  on  Reading  the  Scriptures,  106  pages,  2,000  copies. 
Commentary  on  Matthew,  1,000  copies. 
Essay  on  Fasts,  etc.,  220  pages,  1,000  copies. 
False  Claims  of  the  Pope,  112  pages,  2,000  copies. 
Forever!   11  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Gallaudet's  Child's  Book  on  the  Soul,  156  pages,  1,000  copies. 
Gallaudet's  Natural  Theology,  233  pages,  2,000  copies. 
Good  Works,  A  tract  on,  44  pages,  2,000  copies. 
Grammar,  213  pages,  3,000  copies. 
Guide  to  the  Use  of  the  Fathers,  318  pages,  2,000  copies. 


CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS.  511 

History  of  a  Bible,  34  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Hymn  Book. 

Intemperance,  Tract  on,  46  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Jones's  (Rev.  C.  C.)  Catechism,  305  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Light  of  the  Soul,  48  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Mary  Lothrop,  1 72  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Narrative  Tracts,  in  one  vol.,  152  pages,  1,000  copies. 

NefE's  (Felix)  Dialogues  on  Sin  and  Salvation,  140  pages,  1,000 

copies. 
New  Testament,  with  marginal  references. 
Old  Testament,  with  marginal  references,  royal  8vo. 

From   1840  to   1863,    6,500  copies   of  the   Scriptures   were 
printed,  — 

Physiology,  Treatise  on,  272  pages,  3,000  copies. 

Pike's  Persuasives  to  Early  Piety,  70  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Reader,  No.  1,  63  pages,  sixth  edit.,  5,000  copies.    1867. 

Reader,  No.  2,  72  pages,  5,000  copies.     1869. 

Reader,  No.  3,  84  pages,  5,000  copies.     1869. 

Sabbath,  A  work  on  the,  116  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Scripture  Titles  of  Christ,  104  pages,  1,000  copies. 

Serious  Inquiry,  20  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Sermon  for  the  Whole  World,  28  pages,  2,000  copies.     It  is  the 

Sermon  on  the  Mount. 
Sermons,  fourteen  in  one  vol.,  316  pages,  1,000  copies. 
Spelling  Book,  64  pages,  1,000  copies. 
Theological  Class  Book. 

The  Ten  Commandments,  a  handbUl,  2,000  copies. 
Without  Holiness  no  Man  shall  see  the  Lord,  11  pages,  1,000 

copies. 
In  Armeno-Turkish  there  were  printed  in  1869,  398  consecu- 
tive pages  and  16,000  copies. 

IN  ARABO-TURKISH  (SOMETIMES  CALLED  THE  OSMANLI- 
TURKISH.        TURKISH   IN    THE   ARABIC    CHARACTER). 

Under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Schauffler,  an  edition  of  the  New 
Testament,  of  very  beautiful  typography,  was  issued  in 
1862.     Also,  Matt.  v.  in  separate  form. 

A  Commentary  on  Matthew  and  Mark,  400  pages,  1,000  copies. 
1864. 


612  CATALOGUE  OF  PUBLICATIONS. 

The  Decalogue,  one  page,  1,000  copies.  1867. 
The  Beatitudes,  one  page,  1,000  copies.  1867. 
Selected  Texts,  one  page,  1,000  copies.  1867. 
Selected  Texts,  one  page,  1,000  copies.  1867. 
On  Belief  and  Worship :  an  Explanation  of  the  Christian  Ee- 

ligion    as  understood   and    professed  by   Protestants,  128 

pages,  3,000  copies. 
The  Primer,  64  pages,  5,000  copies.    1869. 
Notes  on  the  Decalogue,  80  pages,  3,000  copies. 
Teachings  of  the  New  Testament,  concerning  the  Judgment,  16 

pages,  5,000  copies. 
Firman  of  the  Porte  in  relation  to  the  Protestant  community, 

300  copies. 

In  this  dialect,  in  1869,  were  printed  161  consecutive  pages, 
13,300  copies  —  total,  531,300  pages. 

In  the  Koordish  Dialect,  previous  to  1863,  13,000  copies  of 
the  Scriptures  had  issued  from  the  mission  press. 

IN   BULGARIAN. 

In  the  year  1844,  a  small  volume  in  this  language  was  issued  at 

Smyrna.      It  was  Part  I.  of    GaUaudet's  Child's  Book  on 

the  Soul,  61  pages,  2,000  copies. 
In   1851    and    1852,  several  Tracts  were   printed,  in  all  8,000 

copies. 
In  1853,  the  Book  of  Psalms. 
In   1860,  59,000  copies,  in  part  of  the  New  Testament,  and  in 

part  of  other  books  and  tracts,  making  3,332,000  pages. 
In  1861,  the  New  Testament,  Biblical  Catechism,  Child's  Book 

on  the  Soul,  etc.,  1,195  consecutive  pages,  and  60,000  copies. 
In  1863,  1,896,000  pages.     Up  to  this  time,  4,000  copies  of  the 

New  Testament. 
In  1864,  303  copies  of  tracts,  etc.,  39,000  consecutive  pages. 
The  issue  of  the  Old  Testament,  following  the  New,  commenced 

1866. 
The  Zornitza,  or  Day  Star,  a  small  monthly  sheet,  was  com« 

menced  about  1866,  having  750  subscribers. 

After  this  time,  the  printing  was  as  follows  :  — 


CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS. 


513 


Pages. 

Copies. 

Total  Copies. 

The  Bible,  commenced,  imperial,  8vo.   . 

624 

5,000 

3,120,000 

The  Pentateuch 

352 

1,000 

352,00Q 

Book  of  Genesis 

167 

1,000 

167,000 

Book  of  Proverbs        .... 

91 

2,000 

182,000 

Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  finished     . 

44 

3,000 

132,000 

Dr.  Goodell's  Sermons 

522 

3,000 

1,566,000 

Sermon  on  the  Sabbath  .... 

12 

2,000 

24,000 

Commentary  on  Matthew  . 

240 

3,000 

720,000 

Spiritual  Worship 

The  Bible  and  Tradition     . 

156 

2,000 

312,000 

35 

3,000 

105,000 

Protestants  the  Ancient  Orthodox  . 

43 

3,000 

129,000 

Baptism       ...... 

28 

3,000 

84,000 

The  Lord's  Supper          .... 

34 

3,000 

102,000 

The  Pope  and  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 

74 

3,000 

220,000 

Answer  to  Infidel  Objections 

36 

3,000 

108,000 

Bruch  on  Prayer 

The  Way  of  Salvation 

48 

3,000 

144,000 

8 

3,000 

24,000 

Poor  Joseph 

8 

3,000 

24,000 

The  Two  r,ambs         .... 

18 

3,000 

54,000 

On  Fasting,  third  edition 

16 

3,000 

48,000 

The  One  Thing  Needful,  second  edition 

7 

3,000 

21,000 

The  Enlightened  Priest,  second  edition 

22 

3,000 

66,000 

Index  to  Sermons        .... 

4 

3,000 

12,000 

The  Heavenly  Voice,  and  What  it  is  to  be- 
lieve in  Christ 

16 

3,000 

48,000 

Confession  of  Faith    .... 

8 

1,000 

8,000 

Zornitza,  "  The  Day  Star,"  12  Nos.  4to. 

96 

2,000 

192,000 

2,709 

70,000 

7,964,000 

In  the  Bulgarian,  in  1869,  were  printed  519  consecutive  pages, 
and  19,000  copies. 

EN   HEBREW  AND   HEBREW-SPANISH. 

The  Psalms,  3,000  copies,  1836.  An  edition  in  1853,  5,000 
copies. 

The  Pentateuch,  500  copies.     Second  edition  of  2,000  copies. 

The  Old  Testament,  printed  at  Vienna,  3,000  copies. 

The  same,  second  edition,  5,000  copies,  printed  at  Smyrna. 

Oppenheim's  Hebrew  Grammar,  at  Smyrna,  2,000  copies.  It 
was  designed  to  lead  the  Jews  from  a  fanciful  to  a  grammat- 
ical construction  of  the  Hebrew  Oracles. 

A  Hebrew  Vocabulary. 


514  CATALOGUE  OF  PUBLICATIONS. 

A  Hebrew- Spanish  Primer,  of  20  pages. 

A  Hebrew- Spanish  Lexicon,  in  part ;  extending  to  187  consecu- 
tive pages ;  number  of  copies  8,000.  So  far  in  1851.  It 
appears  to  have  been  since  completed. 

In  1855,  just  beforje  the  close  of  the  Jewish  mission,  319  pages 
of  Hebrew- Spanish  literature' were  printed  in  ConstantiDO- 
pie,  5,000  copies. 

Between  1840  and  1860,  23,000  copies  of  the  Hebrew- Spanish 
Scriptures,  under  the  supervision  of  missionaries  of  the 
American  Board. 

IN  ARABIC. 

Previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  Mission  Press  at  Beirut,  the  fol- 
lowing tracts  had  been  issued  from  it  at  Malta :  — 
Farewell  Letter  of  Rev.  Jonas  King  to  his  friends  in  Syria,  in 

1825. 
Asaad  Shidiak's  Statement  of  his  Conversion,  and  of  his  Perse- 
cutions. 
Mr.  Bird's  Reply  to  the  Maronite  Bishop  of  Beirut,  535  pages. 

In  1836,  amounting  to  380,800  pages,  as  follows  ;  — 
Spelling  Cards,  8  pages,  500  copies. 

Watts's  Catechism  for  small  children,  16  pages,  1,000  copies. 
A  Lithographic  Copy-book,  200  copies. 
Elements  of  Arabic  Grammar,  168  pages,  1,000  copies. 
Hymn  Book,  24  pages,  200  copies. 
Alphabet,  lithographed,  200  copies. 
The  Dairyman's  Daughter,  96  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Since  1836,  the  issues  of  the  press  were  as  follows  :  — 
Extracts  from  Chrysostom,  166  pages,  2,000  copies. 
Extracts  from  Thomas  h,  Kempis,  60  pages,  2,000  copies. 
Smith's  Arithmetic,  84  pages,  1,200  copies. 
Proverbs  of  Solomon,  4,000  copies. 
On  Self-Examination,  40  pages,  4,000  copies. 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  12  pages,  6,000  copies. 
Tract  on  the  Cholera,  12  pages,  4,000  copies. 
Child's  Book  on  the  Soul.     Part  I.,  104  pages,  2,000  copies. 
Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  24  pages,  3,000  copies. 
The  Psalms  of  David,  276  pages,  5,000  copies. 


CATALOGUE   OF   PUBLICATIONS.  515 

Confession  of  Faith,  60  pages,  400  copies, 

On  Temperance,  by  Mrs.  Whiting,  96  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Child's  Book  on  the  Soul.     Part  II.,  116  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Little  Henry  and  his  Bearer,  84  pages,  2,000  copies. 

The  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  150  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Arabic  Syntax,  74  pages,  2,000  copies. 

The  Passion  of  Christ,  as  in  Matt,  xxvii.,  16  pages,  6,000  copies. 

Thomas  k  Kempis,  revised,  343  pages,  2,000  copies. 

The  First  Sixteen  Psalms,  for  Schools,  23  pages,  1,000  copies. 

The  Office  and  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  256  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Spelling  Book,  63  pages,  2,000  copies. 

The  Westminster's  Assembly's  Catechism,  43  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Good  Works,  their  place,  87  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Nevins's  Thoughts  on  Popery,  156  pages,  2,000  copies. 

Watts's  Catechism  for  Children,  2,000  copies. 

The  Assembly's  Shorter  Catechism,  with  proofs,  1,500  copies. 

In  1842,  the  Arabic  printing  at  Beirut  amounted  to  1,708,000 
pages.  In  1843,  to  13,000  copies,  and  1,282,000  pages.  Number 
of  pages  from  the  beginning,  6,077,000. 

After  the  year  1845,  the  printing  proceeded  from  year  to 
year,  and  the  number  of  copies  and  pages  was  reported  as  for- 
merly ;  but  the  titles  do  not  occur  in  the  printed  Reports,  except 
as  foUows :  — 

The  Spelling  Book,  from  Bible ;  59  pages,  1,500  copies. 

Letter  to  the  Syrian  Clergy,  20  pages,  1,200  copies. 

The  Book  of  Genesis,  136  pages,  1,200  copies. 

Union  Question  Book,  Vol.  I.,  1,500  copies. 

An  Arithmetic,  by  Butrus  el  BistSny. 

Mrs.  Whiting  on  Temperance,  second  edition. 

Mr.  Johnston's  tract  on  Good  Works,  their  Place,  second  edition. 

Mr.  Bird's  Reply  to  the  Maronite  Bishop,  second  edition. 

Mr.  Calhoun's  Companion  to  the  Bible. 

Dx.  Van  Dyck's  Geography. 

Dr.  Alexander's  Evidences  of  Christianity. 

Dr.  Van  Dyck's  Algebra. 

Dr.  Van  Dyck's  Sermon  on  the  Second  Commandment. 

A  small  Arabic  Grammar. 

Dr.  Meshakah  on  Skepticism. 


616  CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS. 

Dr.  Schneider  on  Rites  and  Ceremonies. 
A  new  edition  of  the  Psalms  of  David. 

The  New  Testament,  in  the  version  made  by  Dr.  Eli  Smith, 
assisted  by  Butrus  el  Bistany,  and  revised  by  Dr.  Van  Dyck, 
with  references,  and  also  a  Pocket  Edition  of  the  same,  with- 
out references,  of  5,000  copies,  was  issued  from  the  press  in  March 
1860. 

The  printing  of  the  whole  Bible  in  Arabic  was  finished  in 
March  1865.  Upon  this  great  work  Drs.  Smith  and  Van  Dyck 
had  labored  with  zeal  and  energy  sixteen  years,  from  1838.  Of 
this  translation,  ten  different  editions,  of  the  whole,  or  of  parts, 
had  been  printed  in  1865,  comprising  over  40,000  copies. 

Two  hundred  copies  of  the  first  three  chapters  of  the  Gospel 
by  John  were  printed  in  raised  letters,  for  the  use  of  the  blind. 

Printed  in  1866  :  volumes  of  all  kinds,  28,434.  Copies  of 
Tracts,  23,000.  Copies  of  Scripture,  14,554.  Pages  of  Tracts, 
888,000.     Pages  of  Scripture,  2,872,000. 

Printed  in  1867:  — 

Edwards's  History  of  Redemption. 

Bickersteth's  Scripture  Hand-book. 

A  large  Psalm  and  Hymn  Book. 

A  Psalter,  versified. 

A  Children's  Hymn  Book. 

A  Monthly  Missionary  Arabic  Journal. 

Mr.  Bistany's  Elements  of  Grammar. 

Two  editions  of  his  Arabic  Lexicon. 

In  1867,  were  printed  16,800  volumes  of  all  kinds,  and  20,700 
Tracts. 

In  1868,  726,000  pages  of  Scripture,  and  1,300,000  of  other 
works. 

In  1869,  5,147,000  pages  of  all  kinds. 

The  reports  for  subsequent  years  are  defective. 

MODERN   SYRIAC.      (thE   LANGUAGE   OF    THE  NESTORIAN 
PEOPLE.) 

The  printing,  in  the  year  1843,  was  860  volumes,  6,940  tracts. 
And  611,580  pages. 

In  1844,  the  Four  Gospels,  and  the  Dairyman's  Daughter, 
were  printed.     Whole  amount,  437,800  pages. 


CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS.  517 

The  New  Testament,  with  the  ancient  and  modern  Syriac  in 
parallel  columns,  was  printed  in  1846.  In  that  year,  2,500 
books  and  tracts,  and  1,114,000  pages,  were  printed;  of  which 
about  1,000,000  pages  were  quarto.  Among  the  books  was  a 
new  and  enlarged  edition  of  the  Nestorian  Hymn  Book,  a  Spell- 
ing Book,  and  a  Question  Book. 

The  Pilgrim's  Progress  was  commenced  in  1847. 

A  monthly  paper,  entitled  "  The  Rays  of  Light,"  was  begun 
in  1848,  and  has  continued  till  the  present  time. 

In  1853  and  1854,  an  edition  of  the  New  Testament  entire, 
was  printed ;  also  a  Hymn  Book,  and  a  volume  entitled  Scrip- 
ture Facts. 

In  1855,  Green  Pastures  for  the  Lord's  Flocks,  392  pages. 

In  1856,  Barth's  Church  History,  and  a  Scripture  Geography. 
Whole   number  of   volumes   printed   this  year,  3,000 ;    880,000 


In  1857,  934,000  pages,  of  which  768,000  were  of  Scripture,  in 
large  quarto. 

•  During  the  eighteen  years  following  the  arrival  of  the  press, 
from  1840  to  1858,  68,000  volumes  were  printed,  comprising 
13,493,020  pages. 

In  1860,  the  New  Testament,  with  references,  had  been  printed. 

The  Old  Testament  is  spoken  of  as  having  been  previously 
printed  in  that  form. 

A  Christian  Almanac  was  issued  in  1862. 

The  Word  of  God  was  largely  printed  from  year  to  year 

In  1866,  Rays  of  Light,  a  monthly  paper,  8vo,  384  pages,  400 
copies.     Wayland's  Moral  Science. 

Volumes  printed  in  1866,  1,250.  Tracts,  including  the 
monthly  paper,  5,500.  Pages  of  Scripture,  and  other  works, 
381,300. 

Whole  number  of  volumes  from  the  beginning,  91,350.  Num- 
ber of  pages,  18,052,050. 

In  1867,  Dr.  Perkins's  Commentary  on  Genesis  ;  also  a  Chris- 
tian Almanac. 

In  1869,  Rays  of  Light,  monthly,  104  pages,  400  copies. 
Night  of  Toil,  221  pages,  500  copies. 
Signet  Ring,  65  pages,  200  copies. 
Revival  Hymns,  32  pages,  200  copies. 


518  CATALOGUE   OF  PUBLICATIONS. 

Dialogue  on  the  Papacy,  12  pages,  200  copies. 
Almanac,  44  pages,  200  copies. 

Dr.  Perkins's   Commentary  on   Daniel,  154  pages, 
600  copies. 
Printed  in  1869,  632  consecutive  pages,  2,200  copies. 
Total  pages  from  the  beginning,  November  1840,  to  the  close 
of  1869,  19,529,150. 


INDEX. 


American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions,  not  restricted 
to  pagan  nations,  i.  viii ;  its  mis- 
sions to  the  Oriental  Churches,  6. 

Abraham,  Priest,  i.  177,  184,  318, 
337;  death  of,  ii.  312. 

Adabazar,  i.  123,  128,407;  ii.  13, 
14. 

Adams,  Lucien  H.,  ii.  240,  462,  263. 

Adams,  Mrs.  Augusta  S.,  death  of, 
ii.  262. 

Adana,  ii.  21;  influence  of  the 
American  war,  242. 

Adger,  John  B.,  D.  D.,  i.  102,  126; 
ii.  11. 

Aid  received  from  abroad,  ii.  28. 

Aidin,  ii.  242. 

Ain  Zehalty,  i.  383;  ii.  331,  341, 
354,  360. 

Ainsworth,  Mr.,  his  visit  to  the  Nes- 
torian  Patriarch,  i.  212. 

AinUb,  i.  362,  421-423;  ii.  12,  13, 
14,  46,  86,  223,  243-245,  425. 

Aleppo,  i.  23,  36,  364;  station  at, 
369 ;  great  outrages  at,  374. 

Alma,  in  Syria,  ii.  336,  338,  541. 

Alphabets,  singular  use  of,  i.  75. 

Altitudes  of  different  places,  ii.  116. 

Ambrose,  Thomas  L.,  ii.  137;  his 
death,  288. 

American  Episcopal  Mission  to  the 
Jacobites,  ii.  80. 

American  Minister  at  Constanti- 
nople, error  of,  i.  254 ;  kindness  of, 
ii.  344. 

Angora,  ii.  431. 


Arabic  type,  great  improvements  in, 
i.  233,  374. 

Arabkir,  ii.  13,  30,  232. 

Aramon,  Michael,  i.  371. 

Ararkel,  death  of,  ii.  258. 

Argeus,  ascent  of,  i.  142. 

Argos,  i.  147,  150. 

Ariopolis,  i.  151,  154. 

Armenia,  exploration  of,  i.  79-89. 

Armenian  Church,  Reformed,  ii. 
264. 

Armenian  Colony,  ii.  296. 

Armenians,  religious  condition  of,  i. 
87;  a  preparedness  for  reforma- 
tion, 92;  commencement  of  the 
mission,  93;  the  persecuting  Patri- 
arch, 386 ;  his  mode  of  procedure, 
387,  390,  393,  394,  396  (see  Perse- 
cutions) ;  interposition  of  the  gov- 
ernment, 402 ;  and  of  the  English 
Ambassador,  412  (see  Armenian 
Mission). 

Armenian  Mission,  its  commence- 
ment, i.  93,  96 ;  unexpected  obsta- 
cles, 97 ;  remarkable  converts,  97- 
106;  press  removed  \is  Smyrna, 
104 ;  high  school,  102 ;  education  of 
girls,  107 ;  favoring  circumstances, 
104;  papal  opposition,  106;  signs 
of  progress,  107 ;  missionary  con- 
vocation, 109 ;  remarkable  occur- 
rence, 109;  efforts  to  expel  the 
missionaries,  118 ;  providential  in- 
terposition, 118;  power  of  the 
persecutors  broken,  119 ;  the  sem- 
inaries (see  Education);  favorable 


520 


INDEX. 


reaction,  124 ;  danger  on  the  side 
of  the  Papacy,  124;  unexpected 
opposition,  131 ;  a  native  mission, 
132;  publications,  133;  preaching 
to  women,  133 ;  native  preaching, 
134 ;  changes  in  the  mission,  138 ; 
the  crisis,  386 ;  the  great  persecu- 
tion, 386-400 ;  appeals  of  the  per- 
secuted, 400;  charitable  aid,  401; 
intervention  of  the  government, 
402;  extreme  cruelties,  404-411; 
interposition  of  English  Ambas- 
sador, 412;  a  Vizierial  letter, 
413;  perpetual  excommunication 
of  Protestants,  416;  organization 
of  an  evangelical  church,  417 ;  ref- 
ormation at  Aintab,  421;  number 
of  the  Protestants,  424;  native 
pastors,  426 ;  revivals  of  religion, 
426.  (See  Armenian  3fission,  ii. 
1-77,  211-279,  and  400-469);  gen- 
eral statements,  ii.  469 ;  the  result, 
471,472. 

Assyria  Mission,  ii.  78-106;  its 
origin,  78;  why  so  named,  83; 
united  with  the  Armenian  Mission, 
106. 

Asaad  Shidiak,  first  acquaintance 
with,  i.  44 ;  his  early  history,  53 ; 
employed  by  the  mission,  55 ;  his 
conversion,  57;  becomes  the  Martyr 
of  Lebanon,  59-72. 

Asheta,  beautiful  scenery,  i.  209. 

Assassination,  escape  from,  i.  181. 

Athanasius,  an  India  bishop,  i.  205, 
206. 

Athens,  i.  158,  278-314. 

Author's  visits  to  the  Mediterranean, 
i.  77,  138,  159,261;  ii.  25. 

Awakened  sinner  seeking  rest,  i.  130. 

Bacon,  Dr.  Leonard,  visit  to  Syria, 

i.  377;  ii.  81. 
Bader  Khan  Bey,  visits  to,  i.  218, 

334. 


Badger,  Eev.  George  P.,  his  visit  to 
the  Nestorian  Patriarch,  i.  213 ;  his 
credentials,  213;  the  consequences, 
214;  letter  from  Mar  Shimon  to 
the  English  Bishops,  216. 

Baghchejuk,  ii.  46. 

Ball,  J.  N.,  death  of,  ii.  203. 

Bambas,  Professor,  mention  of,  i. 
11. 

Bansko,  church  formed  there,  ii. 
206. 

Barnum,  Herman  N.,  ii.  29;  a  pro- 
longed tour  in  Eastern  Turkey, 
410-415;  testimony  of,  465-469. 

Beebe,  Albert  G.,  ii.  12;  his  return, 
58. 

Mrs.  Sarah  J.,  death  of,  ii. 


Bebek  Seminary.     See    Education. 
Bedros,   "Vartabed,  banished,  i.  388 ; 

his  useful  labors  at  Aintab,  362; 

death  of,  370. 
Beiriit,  situation  of,  i.  40, 44 ;  growth 

of,  ii.  362. 
Benjamin,  Nathan,    his    labors    at 

Athens,  i.  158;  in  Turkey,  160; 

fiis  death,  ii.  22. 
Bible,  Syriac,  translation  of,  i.  332, 

361. 
Bible-women,  ii.  267. 
Biblical  researches,  i.  235. 
Biographical  notices  in  this  work, 

why  no  more  of  them,  i.  vii. 
Bird,   Isaac,  i.  20,  40,  41,  48;  con- 
nection with  Asaad   Shidiak,  53; 

letters   of  in   Arabic,  228;  labors 

among   the  Druzes,  237;  retires 

from  Syria,  231. 
Bitlis,    ii.  104,  230,  231,  269,  412, 

428. 
Bliss,  David,  D.  D.,  his  connection 

with  the  Syrian  College,  ii.  388, 


BUss,  Edwin  E.,  D.  D. 
19,  183. 


136; 


INDEX. 


521 


Bliss,  Isaac  6.,  ii.  30. 

Book  Depository  at  Constantinople, 
ii.  28. 

Breath,  Edward,  i.  316;  death  of, 
ii.  144. 

Brewer,  Josiah,  missionary  to  the 
Jews,  ii.  150. 

Broosa,  ii.  13,  16,  46;  after  seven- 
teen years,  270. 

Bunsen,  Chevalier,  his  interest  in 
the  Protestants,  ii.  3. 

Butrus  el  Bistany,  i.  266,  365,  369, 
371. 

Bulgarians,  ii.  174-210;  their  con- 
version to  Christianity,  176 ;  their 
eeclesiastial  relations,  177;  their 
aversion  to  the  Greek  hierarchy, 
178 ;  struggles  to  be  free  from  it, 
179 ;  their  eeclesiastial  liberation, 
214. 

Bulgarian  mission,  ii.  174-210;  its 
commencement,  184;  papal  oppo- 
sition, 185;  how  far  the  people 
are  accessible,  186-190 ;  Mr.  Mer- 
iam  murdered  by  brigands,  191; 
connection  of  the  mission  with  the 
Armenian  Mission  dissolved,  203 ; 
the  mission  yet  in  its  infancy, 
210. 

Calhoun,  Simeon  H.,  i.  160,  273. 
Cana,  in  Syria,  ii.  336,  337,  339. 
Canning,  Sir  Stratford,  his  agency 

in  abolishing  the  death  penalty, 

i.  136.     See  Lord    Stratford  de 

Redcliffe. 
Car,  Mr.,  American  Minister  at  the 

Porte,  protection  afforded,  ii.  8. 
Cesarea,   church  at,   i.   116;  ii.  57, 

255 ;  women  at,  437. 
Changes  in  twenty  years,  ii.  9;  in 

thirty  years,  69. 
Cholera,  its  devastations  in  Persia, 

i.  333. 
Christian,  a  high-minded,  ii.  334. 


Church,  one  purely  native  formed 
at  Beirat,  i.  368,  374. 

Church  edifice,  the  first  on  a  new 
site,  ii.  27. 

Church  Missionary  Society,  proffers 
aid  in  Lebanon,  i.  255. 

Church,  organization  of  first  Protes- 
tant Armenian,  i.  417;  among 
Nestorians,  ii.  122,  134,  140,  142, 
148 ;  failure  of  the  original  plan, 
312,  318. 

Churches,  native,  i.  425;  number  in 
Armenian  mission  in  1855,  ii.  26 ; 
self-supporting,  226. 

Churches,  the  Seven,  visit  to,  i.  12. 

Cilicia,  the  Gospel  in,  ii.  440. 

Clarendon,  Earl  of,  ii.  7,  31. 

Clarke,  Dr.  N.  G.,  quoted,  ii.  440, 
461. 

Clergy,  high  Nestorian,  on  employ- 
ing, i.  323. 

Coan,  George  W.,  i.  352,  354,  355, 
357;  ii.  113,  321. 

Cochran,  Joseph  G.,i.  333,  345,  352, 
354;  ii.  122,  300,  321,  497. 

CofRng,  Jackson,  ii.  29;  tokens  of 
personal  regard,  220 ;  murder  of, 
221;  the  murderers  apprehended, 
^22. 

Coffing,  Mrs.  Josephine  L.,  remains 
in  the  mission,  ii.  224. 

College,  Robert,  ii.  4,  241,  450- 
454. 

College  proposed  for  the  interior,  ii. 
455-457. 

College,  Syrian  Protestant,  pro- 
posed, ii.  363;  carried  into  effect, 
385-391. 

Concordance,  John,  preaches  on 
tithes,  ii.  261 ;  death  of,  424. 

Conference  of  missionaries  in  Bul- 
garia, ii.  196. 

Conflagrations,  destructive,  i.  94 
ii.  12,  56,  242. 


522 


INDEX. 


Constantinople,  i.  90,  122,  135,  387, 
401;  ii.  14,  16,  60,  233,  235,  267, 
459. 

Contents,  i.  xiii-xxiv;  ii.  i-xvi. 

Contrast,  a,  ii.  274,  277. 

Convention,  missionary,  in  Syria,  i. 
18,  261;  at  Smyrna,  109. 

Conversion,  an  interesting,  i.  379; 
ii.  101. 

Cowley,  Lord,  his  agency  in  secur- 
ing civil  and  religious  freedom  in 
Turkey,  ii.  2,  31,  43. 

Crane,  Edward  H.,  i.  358;  his  death, 
ii.  120. 

Crimean  war,  made  subservient  to 
the  Gospel,  ii.  24;  the  Papists  em- 
boldened by  its  results,  59 ;  singu- 
lar counteracting  influence,  60. 

Critical  period,  the,  ii.  10. 

Cyprus,  station  on,  i.  154;  ignorance 
of  the  people,  156;  their  friendly 
disposition,  157;  death  of  Mr. 
Pease,  157;  station  relinquished, 
157. 

Cutterbul,  ii.  94,  227,  439. 

Damascus,  journey  to,  i.  23. 

Daoud  Pasha.    See  Lebanon. 

Death  Penalty  in  Mohammedan  law, 
infliction  of,  i.  135;  successful 
efforts  of  Sir  Stratford  Canning 
for  its  suspension,  136 ;  importance 
of  the  act,  137;  a  renewed  inflic- 
tion, and  renewed  efforts  for  its  ab- 
rogation, ii.  31;  the  Hatti  Humai- 
oim,  '32-42 ;  how  regarded  by  Sir 
Stratford,  42,  43;  recognized  in 
the  Treaty  of  Paris,  43,  44;  how 
estimated  by  the  missionaries,  44. 

De  Forest,  Dr.  Henry  A.,  ii.  329, 
398 ;  death  of,  329. 

Deir  Mimas,  ii.  343. 

Demirdesh,  ii.  46. 

Developments,  interesting,  i.  380; 
ii.  46. 


Diarbekir,  i.  188;  ii.  13,  72,  87,  88, 
91,  92,  99,  100,  105,  251,  257,  263, 
272,  410,  415. 

Disorganizing  movement,  an  unsuc- 
cessful one,  ii.  241. 

Division  in  the  Old  Armenian 
Church,  ii.  264. 

Doctrinal  errors,  apprehension  of, 
ii.  423. 

Dodd,  E.  N.,  death  of,  ii.  252. 

Dodge,  Dr.  Asa,  death  of,  i.  36. 

Druzes  of  Mount  Lebanon,  i.  236; 
accessible  to  the  Gospel,  237; 
their  motive,  239;  subdued  by 
Ibrahim  Pasha,  240;  tendency 
to  a  nominal  Christianity,  240; 
a  Druze  convert,  241,  243;  in- 
crease of  religious  inquiry,  244; 
papal  opposition,  247;  warlike 
proceedings,  250 ;  remarkable 
preservation  of  mission  property, 
251;  mistaken  policy  of  English 
officers,  253,  254;  an  unfortunate 
interposition,  256;  the  Patriarch 
renews  the  war  to  his  ruin,  256; 
a  sudden  disastrous  revolution, 
259;  a  new  war  and  its  results, 
273 ;  friendly  services  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, 275 ;  death  of  the  Maro- 
nite  Patriarch,  276 ;  after  the  war, 
277;  relation  of  the  Druzes  to 
Mohammedanism,  367 ;  Druze  high 
school,  ii.  369;  value  of  Druze 
protection,  370;  Druzes  not  taught 
in  vain,  396,  397. 

Dunka,  Priest,  i.  185. 

Dunmore,  George  W.,  ii.  16;  his  ex- 
plorations, 56 ;  at  Diarbekir,  84-87, 
92 ;  death  and  character  of,  73. 

Dwight,  H.  G.  O.,  D.  D.,  i.  79-87, 
93,  96,  114,  123,  126,  133,  389, 
398;  ii.  17,  68, 142;  his  death  and 
character,  211-215. 

Dwight,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  death  of, 
i.  108. 


INDEX. 


523 


Dwight,  Mrs.   Mary  L.,   death  of, 


Eardley  Eardley,  Sir  Culling,  ii.  31. 

Ecclesiastical  Associations :  — 
Harpoot  Evangelical  Union,  259, 

262,  411. 
Bithynia  Union,  ii.  259. 
Central  Union,  ii.  259. 
Cilicia  Union,  ii.  259. 

Ecclesiastical  Council,  the  first,  ii.l7. 

Education; — in  Syria,  i.  44,  231, 
232,  255,  373,  376,  377;  ii.  75,  329, 
342,362,  365,  382-391 ;  — among 
the  Armenians,  i.  102,  107, 126 ;  ii. 
26,  46,  48,  55,  68,  214,  216,  217- 
219,  225,  226,  244-246,  431,  443- 
450; — among  the  Greeks,  i.  95, 
143,  145,  147 ;  —  among  the  Nes- 
torians,  i.  178,  184,  185,  316,  321, 
322,  323,  331,  353;  ii.  112,  119, 
286,  294,  304. 

Elias,  Mar,  death  and  character  of, 
ii.  145. 

Emir  Beshir,  i.  18 ;  deposed,  252. 

England's  benevolent  agency  in 
Turkey,  ii.  1;  in  Persia,  149. 

English.Embassy  to  Persia,  kindness 
of,  i.  83,  170,  171,  293. 

Enthusiasni,  extraordinary,  ii.  118. 

Erzingan,  ii.  432. 

Erzroom,  i.  123,  169,  390;  ii.  30, 
232. 

Eshoo,  Priest,  i.  327;  interesting 
letters  from  his  daughter  Sarah, 
328;  death  of,  ii.  294. 

European  Turkey,  its  geographical 
position,  ii.  174;  its  population, 
174;  Dr.  Hamlin's  Exploration 
and  Eeport,  180;  the  result,  184; 
mission  in,  174-210. 

Everett,  Hon.  Edward,  i.  304. 

Everett,  Joel  S.,  his  death,  ii.  30. 

Everett,  Mrs.,  ii.  21;  death  of,  22. 

Excommunication,   perpetual,    pro- 


nounced on  the  Armenian  Prot- 
estants, i.  416;  the  immediate  re- 
sult, 417. 

Execution,  a  Turkish,  i.  135,  136. 
See  Death  Penalty. 

Explorations,  Preliminary,  i.  77-89. 

Fillmore,  President,  his  opinion  of 
Dr.  King's  trial,  i.  305. 

Fisk,  Pliny,  at  Smyrna,  i.  11;  at 
Malta,  15 ;  in  Egypt,  16 ;  in  Jeru- 
salem, 17,  20,  28;  at  Beirflt,  17, 
22,  24;  his  sickness,  death,  and 
character,  28-33. 

Fisk  and  Bird,  their  arrest  at  Jeru- 
salem, i.  20. 

Fiske,  Fidelia,  i.  317,  327,  348;  visits 
the  United  States,  ii.  137;  her 
death  and  character,  281-283. 

Ford,  J.  Edwards,  i.  369;  ii.  80, 
332;  reference  to  him,  398. 

Foreign  Missions,  imreasonable  de- 
mands on,  ii.  458. 

Foreign  Missionary  Field  for  the 
Nestorians,  ii.  320. 

Franco-German  war,  its  effect  in 
Turkey,  ii.  60. 

Garabed,  disturbing  efforts  of,  ii. 
229,  230. 

Gawar,  i.  355;  ii.  125. 

Geghi,  ii.  13,  54. 

General  View  of  Armenian  Mission, 
ii.  237,  248. 

Geog  Tapa,  revival  at,  i.  330;  ii, 
118,  313. 

German  Colonies  in  Georgia,  i.  82. 

Glen,  Robert,  mention  of,  185. 

Gobat,  Bishop,  mention  of,  i.  255; 
ii.  230. 

Goodell,  William,  D.  D.,  i.  20,  40, 
41,  45,  47,  51,  74,  93,  94,  99,  109, 
113,114;  his  estimate  of  the  Cen- 
tral Mission,  ii.  223-225 ;  his  death 
and  character,  408-410. 


524 


INDEX. 


Grand  Seignior,  extraordinary  proc- 
lamation of  the,  i.  25. 

Grant,  Dr.  Asahel,  recollections  of 
him,  i.  176;  his  desire  to  enter 
Koordistan,  186;  arduous  journeys, 
187-190  ;  enters  from  the  west, 
190;  welcomed  by  mountaineers, 
191 ;  meditations  in  sight  of  Tiary, 
192;  his  reception,  192,  193;  in- 
vited by  the  Patriarch  to  a  second 
visit,  198 ;  is  hospitably  entertain- 
ed, 199 ;  visits  the  United  States, 
200 ;  publishes  on  the  Ten  Tribes, 
200;  again  with  the  Patriarch, 
201,  208, 217 ;  third  departure  from 
Oroomiah,  207;  interview  with 
Koordish  chieftains,  207,  210;  at 
Mosul,  211;  visits  Bader  Khan 
Bey,  218 ;  his  sickness  and  death, 
221;  reflections  on  his  life  and 
character,  222. 

Grant,  Mrs.  Judith  S.,  eminent  qual- 
ities of,  i.  83 ;  her  death,  184. 

Greek  Church,  the  first  evangelical, 
ii.  271. 

Greek  Hierarchy.  See  Greek  Mis- 
sion. 

Greek  mind,  as  affected  by  circum- 
stances, i.  141. 

Greek  Mission,  i.  141-163,  279-314; 
Athens  and  Argos,  146,  147 ;  free 
circidation  of  the  New  Testament, 
148;  Scio,  150;  Ariopolis,  151, 
154;  Cyprus,  154-157;  Athens, 
158;  valuable  results,  162;  Dr. 
King  and  the  Greek  Hierarchy, 
293-331. 

Greek  Synod  at  Constantinople,  a 
persecuting  power,  i.  117. 

Greek  youth,  education  of,  i.  143; 
ii.  28. 

Greeks  in  Turkey,  labors  among,  i. 
159 ;  partially  suspended,  160 ;  re- 
sumed, ii.  242. 

Gridley,  Elnathan,  first  missionary 


to  the  Greeks,  i.  141;  his  death, 
142. 
Guwergis,  Deacon,  i.  347;  ii.  123. 

Hadji  Hagop,  ii.  226. 

Hadjin,  barbarous  expulsion  of  Mr. 
Coffin,  ii.  221;  great  change  at, 
430. 

Hallock,  Homan,  1.  73,  76,  105,  125, 
233,  316,  374. 

Hamlin,  Cyrus,  D.  D.,  i.  114,  121, 
123;  ii.  218,  240,  450-454. 

Hamlin,  Mrs.  Henrietta  A.,  death 
of,  ii.  14. 

Hamlin,  Mrs.  Harriet  M.,  death  of, 
ii.  52. 

Haritun,  i.  113,  404-406,  421. 

Harpoot,  ii.  13,  53,  67,  225,  259, 
267;  statement  of  results  in  the 
Harpoot  and  other  districts,  465- 
469. 

Hagop  Effendi,  his  testimony,  ii. 
463,  464. 

Hasbeiya,  a  secession  from  the  Greek 
Church,  i.  264 ;  great  persecution, 
266 ;  a  solemn  covenant,  268 ;  re- 
newed persecution,  269 ;  flight  of 
the  Protestants,  270 ;  their  return, 
271 ;  partial  success  of  the  enemy, 
272;  appeal  to  the  government, 
367 ;  a  native  pastor,  377 ;  church 
built,  383 ;  ii.  257 ;  great  massacre, 
349 ;  subsequent  events,  355,  382. 

Haskell,  Henry  G.,  ii.  195,  332. 

Hatti  Humaioun,  the,  ii.  31-42;  rec- 
ognized in  the  Treaty  of  Paris, 
44 ;  its  import,  43 ;  how  regarded, 
44,  45. 

Havadoric,  church  formed  at,  ii. 
429. 

Hebard,  Story,  death  of,  i.  253. 

Hebard,  Mrs.  Rebecca  W.  i.  249, 

Hebron,  visit  to,  i.  21. 

Hinsdale,  Albert  K.  i.  200,  204,  206; 
his  death,  211. 


INDEX. 


625 


Hinsdale,  Mrs.  Sarah  C,  death  of,  i. 

201. 
History  of  Missions,  philosophical, 

why  one  is  not  written,  i.  5. 
Hohannes  Sahakian,  i.  97 ;  banished, 

116;    recalled,    120,    132;   ii.    14, 

17,  22;  death  of,  254. 
Homes,  Henry  A.,  i.  189. 
Houran,   Dr.    Eli  Smith's   explora- 
tions  of  the,    i.  229;  loss  of  his 

journal,  230. 
Houston,  Samuel  R. ,  i.  150,  154. 
Houston,  Mrs.  Mary  R.,  death  of,  i. 

152. 
Hums,  open  to  the  Gospel,  i.  379; 

ii.  357,  359,  378. 
Hurter,  George  S.,  i.  365,  374. 
Hymn  Book,  Nestorian,  i.  333. 

Imperial  firman,  ii.  4.  See  Hatti 
Hummoun. 

Index,  ii.  519-532. 

Intelligent  men  affected  by  the 
truth,  i.  370. 

Interposition  in  Syria,  an  unfortu- 
nate, i.  250. 

Introduction,  i.  1-7. 

Isaac,  Deacon,  i.  329,  355 ;  ii.  280. 

Jacobites,  i.  205. 

Jerusalem,  as  a  station,  i.  13, 17,  20, 
25;  reoccupied,  34;  suffering  at, 
35;  again  suspended,  38,  272. 

Jessup,  Henry,  D.  D.,  i.  384;  ii.  350, 
355,  360,  361,  367,  382. 

Jessup,  Mrs.  Harriet  E.,  death  of, 
ii.  365. 

Jesuits,  bold  inroads  of,  i.  196,  253; 
counteracting  influences,  196 ; 
aided  by  the  French  government, 
319. 

Jews,  Italian,  ii.  158 ;  German  Jews, 
158 ;  important  testimony  concern- 
ing, 159;  relation  of  Jews  to 
Christ's  kingdom,  162;  practical 


inferences,  163 ;  their  capacity  for 
self-righteousness,  165;  why  the 
mission  was    relinquished,  172. 

Jews,  Constantinople,  reasons  for 
retiring  from,  ii.  160. 

John,  Deacon,  i.  350;  erratic  pro- 
ceedings of,  313,  318. 

Joseph,  Deacon,  death  of,  ii.  283. 

Jowett,  Rev.  William,  i.  10. 

Kefr  Shema,  ii.  333. 

Kalopothakes,  Mr.,  ii.  271. 

Kessab,  ii.  21,  46. 

Kevork,  Der,  i.  100,  108. 

Khanikoff,  Russian  Consul-general, 
ii.  117. 

Koordistan,  native  mission  to,  ii. 
416,  433. 

King,  Jonas,  D.  D.,  in  Palestine  and 
Syria,  i.  15;  his  farewell  letter, 
27,  47,  90,  292;  at  Smyrna  and 
Constantinople,  27 ;  in  the  United 
States,  28;  connection  with  the 
Board  renewed,  145;  at  Athens, 
146;  intrigues  against  him,  149; 
struggle  with  the  Greek  hierarchy, 
279-314 ;  dangerous  attendance  at 
a  court  in  Syria,  284;  renewed 
prosecution,  286;  advice  received 
from  the  king,  289;  retires  to 
Geneva,  and  Malta,  290,  292; 
returns  to  Athens,  293 ;  the  Greek 
Synod  demands  his  prosecution, 
295 ;  trial  at  Athens,  299 ;  is  con- 
demned and  imprisoned,  299 ;  ap- 
peals to  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  303;  the  Minister 
Resident  at  Constantinople  sent  to 
Athens,  304 ;  opinion  of  the  Presi- 
dent, 305;  and  of  Mr.  Marsh,  307; 
justice  partially  rendered,  307; 
favorable  change  in  public  senti- 
ment, 307;  disgi'ace  of  old  perse- 
cutors, 310;  visits  the  United 
States,  312;    returns   to  Greece, 


526 


INDEX. 


312;    his    death,  and   prominent 

characteristics,  313. 
Koordish  chieftains,   deposition  of, 

i.  343. 
Koordistan,  Western,  a  winter  in,  ii. 

135 ;  native  mission  to,  275,  433. 
Koords,  make  war  on  the  Nestorians, 


Languages,  singular  use  of  in  wor- 
ship, i.  75. 
Lanneau,   John   F.,   i.  36,  38,  232, 

261,  278. 
Labaree,  Benjamin,  ii.  137,  295,  301, 

321. 
Laurie,  Thomas,   D.  D.,   arrival  at 

Mosul,   i.   211;    accompanies  Dr. 

Grant  to  the  mountains,  217 ;  joins 

the     Syria    mission,     273,     276; 

returns  to  the  United  States,  365 ; 

acknowledgments  to,  i.  x. 
Laurie,  Mrs.,  death  of,  i.  220. 
Lebanon,  improved  government  of, 

ii.  357,  369,  380. 
Leonard,  Julius  Y;,  ii.  463. 
Leybum,  George  W.,  i.  150,  154. 
Lobdell,  Dr.  Henry,  ii.  86,  87,  88, 

89,  90;   his  death  and  character, 

98. 
Lobdell,  Mrs.,  return  of,  ii.  105. 

Malta  conference,  results  of,  i.  78. 

Malta  Press,  removed  to  Smyrna,  i. 
76,  101. 

Manual  for  Reformed  Nestorian 
Church,  ii.  148. 

Mardin,  i.  189;  ii.  75,  86,  101,  401; 
church  organized,  404 ;  an  ordina- 
tion, 412;  cruel  persecution  at, 
417-422. 

Maronite  Patriarch,  his  persecution 
of  Assad  Shidiak,  i.  59-71;  his 
death,  276. 

MarTohanan,  i.  315,  317,  324;  ii. 
112, 122, 139,  299,  312,  318. 


Maronite  clergy,  attitude  of,  ii.  332. 

Marsh,  Dwight  W.,  ii.  81,  105. 

Marsh,  Mrs.  Julia  W.,  death  of,  ii 
104. 

Marsh,  Hon.  George  P.,  sent  to 
Athens  to  examine  into  the  case 
of  Dr.  King,  i.  304;  his  conclu- 
sions, 307. 

Marsovan,  ii.  17,  19,  21,  65,  239; 
theological  school  and  female  sem- 
inary at,  431.     See  Seminaries. 

Massacres  in  Syria,  ii.  347,  349 ;  re- 
lief for  the  sufferers,  250 ;  remark- 
able escape  of  missionaries,  351. 

Matteos  made  Patriarch  of  Constan- 
tinople, i.  105 ;  a  noted  persecutor, 
387 ;  rebuked  by  the  government, 
402;  hostility  to  the  seminary, 
414;  deposed  from  office,  ii.  14; 
elected  Catholicos,  58. 

Maynard,  Eliphal,  death  of,  ii.  164. 

Mehemet  Fuad,  ii.  31. 

Meriam,  William  W.,  ii.  186,  188; 
murdered  by  brigands,  191 ;  their 
punishment,  194. 

Meriam,  Mrs.,  death  of,  ii.  193. 

Merrick,  James  L.,  Mission  to  Mo- 
hammedans of  Persia,  i.  324;  mis- 
sion discontinued,  324. 

Meshaka,  Michael,  i.  370. 

Millennium,  how  made  possible,  ii. 
458. 

Missions,  native,  i.  132;  ii.  275,  433. 

Missionaries  to  Armenians,  i.  93,  96, 
99,  102,  125,  130,  157,  160,  223; 
ii.  12,  16,  29,  233,  240,  249,  263, 
400-472. 

Missionaries  to  Assyria  Mission,  ii. 
81,  86,  92,  99-106. 

Missionaries  to  the  Bulgarians,  ii. 
184,  186,  187,  195,  202,  204-210. 

Missionaries  to  Greece,  i.  144,  146, 
150,  155,  156-163,  278-314. 

Missionaries  to  Jews,  i.  96,  130;  ii, 
150-173,  150, 161,  164-173. 


INDEX. 


527 


Missionaries  to  Palestine,   i 
34,  36,  37-39. 

Missionaries  to  Syria,  i.  1,  20,  41, 
47,  223,  224,  232,  238,  249,  261, 
273,   384;  ii.  328,  362,  378,   380, 


Missionaries  to  Persian  Mohamme- 
dans, i.  173. 

Missionaries  to  Nestorians,  i.  164, 
173,  182,  195,  200,  211,  221,  317, 
324,   333,    352,    358  ;  ii.  131-149, 


16, 


Missionaries,  a  general  list  of,  488- 
499. 

Missionaries,  the  actual  call  for,  ii. 
215  ;  the  discretion  awarded  to 
them,  216. 

Missionary  Physicians,  when  most 
valuable,  i.  177. 

Missions,  Foreign,  upreasonable  de- 
mands on,  ii.  458. 

Mitchell,  Colby  C,  death  of,  i.  202. 

MitcheU,  Mrs.  Eliza  A.  death  of,  204. 

Mohammedans,  approached  through 
the  Oriental  Churches,  i.  1-6 ;  the 
effect  illustrated,  474 ;  general 
character  of  the  illustrations,  482 ; 
the  Gospel  yet  in  its  incipient 
stage  of  influence  among  them, 
482;  experience  favors  the  plan 
hitherto  pursued,  484;  the  Turks 
not  an  unhopeful  race,  485. 

Monthly  Concert,  ii.  127. 

Moosh,"u.  413,  416. 

Morgan,  Homer  B.,  ii.  167;  death 
and  character  of,  252. 

Morgan,  Mrs.  Henrietta  G.  B. ,  death 
of,  ii.  168. 

Mosul,  visit  to,  i.  345;  ii.  80,  95, 
96,  105,  227,  435. 

Mountains,  work  in  the,  ii.  Ill,  225, 
interesting  scenes,  113 ;  tours,  127, 
136,  284. 

Musical  notes,  how  written  in 
Arabic,  ii.  381. 


Native  candidate  for  a  foreign  mis- 
sion, ii.  402. 

Native  Ministry,  i.  112,  113,  418, 
426;  ii.  14,  19,  63,  67,  138,  143, 
206,  207,  226,  228,  335,  369,  439. 

Native  missionaries,  ordination  of, 
ii.  301. 

Nazee,  a  Christian  girl  in  the  moun- 
tains, ii.  115. 

Nestorian  Mission,  its  rise,  i.  164- 
178,  181;  too  much  aid  to  the 
people,  182;  native  helpers,  183; 
(for pp.  178-222,  see  Grant);  pain- 
ful journey  of  Messrs.  Mitchell 
and  Hinsdale,  202 ;  breach  of  mis- 
sionary etiquette  and  the  conse- 
quences, 212-217;  subjugation  of 
the  mountain  Nestorians,  218; 
flight  of  the  Patriarch,  220,  336 ;' 
western  branch  discontinued,  223 ; 
the  Patriarch's  hostility,  321  (see 
Mar  Shimon,  Education,  Perkins, 
Seminaries,  Scriptures);  visit  of 
Dr.  Dwight,  ii.  142 ;  retrospect  of 
thirty  years,  148 ;  death  and  char- 
acter of  Miss  Fiske,  284;  moun- 
tain tours,  284;  usefulness  and 
death  of  Dr.  Wright,  286 ;  death 
of  Mr.  Ambrose,  288;  Nestorian 
vagrancy,  288 ;  death  of  Mr.  Rhea 
and  his  character,  289;  aid  from 
English  Ambassador,  293 ;  conven- 
tion of  churches,  299;  movement 
towards  self-supporting  churches, 
122,  134,  140,  142,  302;  progress 
in  thirty-six  years,  304;  rekind- 
ling of  the  ancient  missionary 
spirit,  303,  306;  failure  of  the 
effort  for  a  reformed  church,  312; 
erratic  proceedings  of  Priest  John, 
313,  318;  separate  churches  be- 
come a  necessity,  318;  Mar  Yo- 
hanan,  318;  signs  of  revival,  319; 
the  foreign  mission  field  for  the 
Nestorian  churches,  320;   assign- 


528 


INDEX. 


ments  of  labors,  321;  transfer  of 

the  mission  to  the  Presbyterian 

Board,  321;   death  and  character 

of  Dr.  Perkins,  321. 
Nestorian  Hymn  Book,  i.  333. 
Nestorian  Priest,  a  learned,  i.  192. 
Nestorian  wedding,  i.  177. 
Nestorian  vagrancy,  ii.  288. 
Nestorians  of  former  ages,  i.  84, 166 ; 

their  missions,  167;  destroyed  by 

Moslems,  168. 
Newspapers,  mcrease  of,  in  Turkey, 

ii.  263. 
New  Testament,  Arabic,  translation 

of  completed,  ii.  345,  354. 
New  Testament,   Armeno-Turkish, 

i.  74,  126. 
New  Testament,  ancient  Syriac,  i. 

194;  modern  Syriac,  i.  332. 
New  Testament,  modem  Greek,  free 

circulation  of,  i.  8. 
Nicholayson,  Rev.  Mr.,  at  Beiriit,  i. 

255. 
Nicomedia,  i.  113,  123,  128;  ii.  46. 
Nizib,  battle  of,  i.  188;  ii.  13.    . 
Norcross,  Miss  Roseltha,  death  of, 

ii.  205. 
North  Syria  transferred  to  the  Ar- 
menian mission,  i.  384. 
Nurullah  Bey,  i.  194,  210. 
Nutting,  George  B.,  ii.  12,  21,  224, 

422. 
Nutting,  Mrs.   Sarah  E.,  death  of, 

ii.  21. 
Nutting,  Dr.  David  H.,  his  account 

of  civilization  at  Aleppo,  ii.  424. 

Obstacle,  the  great,  ii.  197. 
Oorfa,  ii.  13,  86,  224,  422. 
Opposition,   an  unexpected,  i.  131; 

singular  mode  of,  ii.  246,  249. 
Oosee,  description  of;  ii.  402-404. 
Ordination,  two  methods  contrasted, 

ii.  227,  228. 
Ordination,  an  interesting,  ii.  254. 


Oriental  Churches,  enumerated,  i.  6; 

religion  of,  i.  1-6. 
Oriental  Churches,  the  large  space 

occupied  by  their  missions,  i.  iii ; 

method  of  writing  their  history, 


Palestine  Mission,  i.  9-39. 

Palmerston,  Lord,  mention  of,  i.  255, 
373;ii.  2,  3. 

Panayotes  Constantinides,  Dr.  Good- 
ell's  aid  in  translating,  ii.  76. 

Papal  missionaries,  in  Koordistan,  i. 
210;  audacity  of,  ii.  120. 

Papal  opposition,  i.  42,  106. 

Paris,  Treaty  of,  notice  taken  of  the 
Hatti  Humaioun,  ii.  43,  44. 

Parsons,  Levi,  i.  9-13;  death  and 
character  of,  14. 

Parsons,  Justin  W.,  ii.  164,  167,  169. 

Patriarch,  the  young  Mar  Shimon, 
ii.  285,  292,  297. 

Patriarchal  family,  i.  321,  329,  355; 
ii.  280. 

Patterson,  Commodore,  friendly  visit 
of  to  Beirut,  ii.  231. 

Pease,  Lorenzo  W.,  i.  156;  death  of, 
157. 

Pera,  destructive  fire  in,  i.  94. 

Persian  Mission,  why  so  called,  ii. 
321. 

Persia,  estimated  population  of,  ii. 
295. 

Peshtimaljian,  school  of,  i.  90;  its 
effect  on  the  priesthood,  91,  100; 
he  the  Erasmus  of  the  Armenian 
reformation,  91;  death  of,  108. 

Perkins,  Justin,  D.  D.,  i.  164,  169; 
hardships  on  the  way  to  Persia, 
170 ;  friendly  aid,  171 ;  preliminarj- 
measures,  173;  his  earliest  asso- 
ciate, 173;  reduces  the  modem 
Syriac  to  writing,  178;  visits  the 
United  States,  315 ;  writes  a  history 
of  the  nussion,  317 ;  his  scripture 


INDEX. 


2<) 


translations,  332,  361 ;  death  of  an 
only  daughter,  ii.  108;  second 
visit  to  United  States,  137 ;  retro- 
spect of  thirty  years,  148 ;  his  re- 
turn to  the  United  States,  death, 
and  character,  322. 

Perkins,  Judith,  death  of,  ii.  108. 

Persecutions,  i.  48,  62,  68-70,  116- 
118,  149,  266,  209,  270,  280-291, 
295-302,  3D9,  321,  338,  342,  359, 
368,  387-398,  400,  404-411,  412, 
415,  416;  ii.  18-21,  63,  85,  87, 199, 
339,  359,  372-378,  406,  407,  417- 
422. 

Persecutions,  cause  of,  i.  114;  a  fa- 
vorable effect  of,  124. 

Persian  government,  an  act  of  toler- 
ation, i.  352;  hostility  of,  ii.  124, 
128. 

Petrokokino,  a  Greek  helper,  i.  159. 

Physician,  missionary,  when  most 
valuable,  i.  177. 

Piety,  a  suggestive  case  of,  ii.  110. 

Popery,  danger  on  the  side  of,  i.  124. 

Poros,  school  for  girls  in,  i.  145. 

Powers,  P.  0.,  i.  102;  ii.  18. 

Pratt,  Dr.  Andrew  T.,  ii.  12. 

Prayer-book,  Reformed  Armenian, 
ii.  265. 

Prayer-meetings,  i.  47,  132. 

Preface,  the,  i.  i  -xi. 

Press  at  Malta,  i.  15,  73;  at  Smyrna, 
76,  105;  at  Oroomiah,  ii.  120,  195; 
Arabic,  i.  228;  ii.  139. 

Protection,  English  and  Russian,  ii. 
121;  American,  201. 

Penalties  in  Russia  for  proselyting, 
ii.  25. 

Prosperity,  effect  of  on  a  church,  ii. 
278. 

Protestants,  Armenian,  whence  the 
name,  i.  413;   their  trying  situa- 
tion, 423 
Providence,  divine,  reality  of  recog- 
nized, i.  vi;  ii.  126. 
VOL.  II.  34 


Providential  interpositions,  i.  46, 
118,  241;  ii.  10,  20,  24,  125,  129. 

Publications,  general  list  of,  501- 
516. 

Reaction  at  Constantinople,  ii.  234; 

probable  cause  of,  235. 
Religious  toleration,  ii.  334. 
Remarkable  occurrence,  i.  109. 
Remarkable  men,  ii.  50,  63. 
Remarkable  youth,  i.  356. 
Reports,  absurd,  i.  25. 
Revivals,   in  Armenian  mission,   i. 

426;   ii.   55,   269,   276,   400,   422, 

428. 
Revivals  in  the  Nestorian  mission, 

the  first,  i.  325-332;  the  second, 

346 ;  the  third,  349 ;  ii.  118,  125, 

135;  the  tenth,  139,  145. 
Reynolds,  Miss  Mary  E.,  death  of, 

ii.  203. 
Rhea,  Samuel  A.,  ii.  125,  135,  137; 

his  death  and  character,  289-292. 
Rhea,  Mrs.,  death  of,  ii-  135. 
Rice,  Mary  S.  ii.  149,  310. 
Riggs,  Elias,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  i.  147, 

151,  159,  160 ;  ii.  27,  28,  207-210. 
Robinson,     Dr.     Edward,    visit    to 

Syria,  i.  235,  377. 
Russian  priests,  apprehended  aggres- 
sions of,  ii.  144. 

Salonica,  occupied  as  a  station,  ii. 
161;  insalubrity  of  the  climate, 
168;  sickness,  168;  relinquished, 
169. 

Safeeta,  remarkable  awakening  at, 
ii.  371;  and  a  remarkable  perse- 
cution, 372-378. 

Samokov,  ii.  196,  205. 

Scene,  a  beautiful,  ii.  220. 

Scenery,  splendid,  i.  93. 

Schauffler,  William  G.,  D.  D.,  i.  96 
ii.  150,  153,  154,  167,  171,  173, 
270. 


530 


INDEX. 


Schneider,  Benjamin,  D.  D.,  i.  124, 
423;  ii.  13,  170. 

Schneider,  Mrs.,  death  of,  ii.  47. 

Schools,  common,  importance  of,  ii. 
443. 

Scio,  Greek  college  in,  i.  11 ;  station 
in,  150,  151. 

Scriptures,  Armenian,  in  the  modem 
language,  revised  by  Dr.  Adger, 
i.  126;  Ancient  Armenian,  i.  126; 
ii.  27;  Arabic,  i.  369,  380;  ii.  345, 
352,  354,  366-368;  Armeno-Turk- 
ish,  i.  76, 126 ;  ii.  76 ;  Bulgarian,  ii. 
27,  76,  207-209;  Greco-Turkish,  ii. 
27;  Hebrew-Spanish,  ii.  153,  154, 
155,  158;  Koordish,  ii.  27,  100; 
Syriac  (Nestorian),  i.  332,  361; 
Turkish,  ii.  76. 

Salonica,  occupied  as  a  station,  ii. 
161. 

Seminaries,  in  Armenian  mission,  i. 
316;  ii.  48,  75,  217,  219,  245,  246, 
416,  421,  431,  444,  445-456;  in 
Nestorian  mission,  ii.  112, 118, 139, 
226,  286,  294,  301,  304;  in  Syria 
mission,  i.  272;  ii.  342,  382-391. 

Senekerim,  i.  98. 

Sert,  a  remarkable  church  and  pas- 
tor, ii.  412,  434. 

Shedd,  John  H.,  ii.  137;  extended 
tours  in  the  mountains,  284,  294, 
304,  321. 

Shaftesbury,  Lord,  ii.  31. 

Sheik  el  Islam,  invokes  the  divine 
blessing  on  the  Sultan's  Imperial 
edict,  ii.  32. 

Shimon,  Mar,  the  Patriarch,  Dr. 
Grant's  first  interview  with,  i.  , 
193;  description  of,  193;  visited 
by  Dr.  Grant,  193,  199,  201,  208; 
visited  by  Mr.  Ainsworth,  212; 
and  by  Mr.  Badger,  213 ;  flies  to 
Mosul,  220,  and  Oroomiah,  336; 
his  apparent  friendship,  337; 
throws  off    the    mask,    338;    his 


people  refuse  cooperation,  339; 
government  interferes,  339,  341; 
returns  to  the  mountains,  345 ;  his 
death,  ii.  140. 

Signs  of  progress  among  the  Ar- 
menians, i.  127. 

Simon,  native  pastor,  ii.  76. 

Sivas,  ii.  53. 

Smith,  Eli,  D.  D.,  at  Beirut,  i.  47; 
explores  Armenia,  79-89 ;  explores 
the  Houran,  229 ;  loss  of  his  jour- 
nal, 230;  Biblical  researches,  235; 
at  Hasbeiya,  266 ;  as  a  translator 
of  the  Scriptures,  369,  380,  383; 
his  death,  324;  the  work  per- 
formed by  him,  324-327 ;  is  suc- 
ceeded as  translator  by  Dr.  Van 
Dyck,  327,  398. 

Smith,  Mrs.  Sarah  L.,  death  of,  i. 
234. 

Smith,  Mrs.  Maria  W.  C.,  death  of, 
i.  261. 

Smith  and  Dwight,  their  exploration 
of  Armenia,  i.  79-89. 

Smith,  Dr.  Azariah,  i.  423 ;  ii.  12 ; 
his  death  and  character,  14. 

Smith,  Mrs.  Corinth  I.,  returns  to 
the  United  States,  ii.  21. 

Smyrna,  atrocities  at,  i.  12;  labors 
among  the  Jews  of,  ii.  170. 

Stepan,  the  Patriarch,  deposed,  i. 
115;  restored,  121. 

Stocking,  William  R.,  i.  182,  351; 
his  return  home,  ii.  117 ;  succeeded 
by  a  son,  117. 

Stoddard,  David  T.,'  visit  of  to  the 
United  States,  i.  344;  his  return, 
ii.  107 ;  his  death  and  character, 
31,  132. 

Stoddard,  Mrs.  Harriet,  death  of,  i. 
344. 

Stratford  de  Redcliffe,  Lord,  his 
agency  in  abolishing  the  death, 
penalty,  i.  136 ;  ii.  31 ;  and  in  secur- 
ing civil  and  religious  freedom  to 


INDEX. 


531 


Protestants  in  Turkey,  ii.  1-9,  24, 
31,  42,  43. 

Sultan,  pledges  of,  i.  122 ;  enlists  in 
the  persecutions,  115,  118;  con- 
cessions by,  ii.  4,  8. 

Syria,  all  the  people  Arabs,  i.  261; 
conquered  by  Ibrahim  Pasha,  228 ; 
civil  war  in,  ii.  346;  massacres  in, 
347,  349 ;  another  civil  war,  346 ; 
missionaries  safe,  347. 

Syria  Mission,  i.  40-72,  224-278, 362- 
399;  the  first  missionaries,  40; 
native  helpers,  41;  papal  opposi- 
tion, 42;  first  schools,  44;  Greek 
invasion,  44;  an  interposing  Prov- 
idence, 45 ;  suspension  of  the  mis- 
sion, 51 ;  the  Martyr  of  Lebanon, 
52-72;  mission  resumed,  224; 
Gregory  Wortabet,  224 ;  Ibrahim 
Pasha  conquers  Syria,  228 ;  publi- 
cations, 228;  improved  Arabic 
type,  233,  374;  missionary  con- 
vention and  results,  261;  Has- 
beiya,  264,  268,  269,  364,  368, 
372;  persecution,  270;  results, 
376  (see  Seminaries);  Jerusalem 
station  relinquished,  272;  native 
church  at  BeirUt,  368 ;  translation 
of  the  Scriptures,  369,  380,  383; 
Aleppo,  369;  English  protection, 
373 ;  interesting  developments, 
380;  general  view,  384;  progress 
in  fifteen  years,  ii.  329;  cheer- 
ing annual  meeting,  344;  the  field 
brightening,  354,  357,  361;  what 
has  hindered  rapid  progress,  363 ; 
awakening  at  Safeeta,  371;  re- 
markable persecutions,  372-378; 
native  missions,  379  (see  Educa- 
tion) ;  Syrian  Protestant  College, 
385-391;  transfer  of  the  mission 
to  the  Presbyterian  Board,  391- 
395;  results  of  the  past,  395-399. 

Syria,  northern,  transferred  to  the 
Armenian  mission,  i.  384. 


Syriac  language,  ancient,  scarcity  of 

Scriptures  in,  i.  186. 
Syriac   language,  modern,  reduced 

to    writing,    i.    178;     version    of 

Scriptures  into,  317,  333,  361. 
Syrian  Protestant  College,  ii.  385- 

391. 

Tamo,  Deacon,  persecution  of,  i.  342, 
359 ;  release  of,  360. 

Tanniis  el-Haddad,  death  of,  ii. 
370. 

Taurus  Mountains,  exploration  of, 
ii.  220. 

Telegraphic  communication,  ii.  66. 

Temple,  Daniel,  i.  15,  101,  139 ;  his 
death,  140. 

Thomson,  William  M.,  D.  D.,  i.  34, 
244,  270,  275,  362,  364. 

Thomson,  Mrs.  Maria,  death  of, 
35. 

Tiary,  destruction  of,  i.  219;  again 
visited,  223. 

Tocat,  ii.  13,  46,  53. 

Tomas  Boyajian,  ii.  67,  227,  251. 

Trebizond,  i.  104,  392,  aggravated 
case  of  persecution,  393 ;  ii.  75. 

Tigris,  descent  of,  ii.  88. 

Turkey,  indications  of  progress  in, 
ii.  459-472. 

Turkish  execution,  i.  135, 136 ;  Turk- 
ish procrastination,  ii.  8. 

Turkish  Missions  Aid  Society,  gen- 
erous aid  from  the,  ii.  49. 

Type,  improved,  Armenian,  i.  105; 
Arabic,  233,  347;  Syriac,  316. 

Van  as  a  missionary  station,  i.  201; 
ii.  438. 

Van  Dyck,  C.  V.  A.,  D.  D.,  i.  249, 
278 ;  ii.  328,  345,  354,  366,  368. 

Van  Lennep,  Messrs.,  their  kind- 
ness acknowledged,  i.  11. 

Van  Lennep,  Henry  J.,  D.  D.,  i. 
125,  140;  ii.  56. 


632 


INDEX. 


Van  Lennep,  Mrs.  Mary,  death  of, 

i.  140. 
Vizierial  letter,  ii.  3. 
Vertanes,  i.  113,  128,  138,  388,  404; 

ii.  18,  241. 

Walker,   Augustus,   ii.   91,  92,  93, 

227 ;  his  death  and  character,  271, 

272. 
Walker,  Mrs.,  return  home,  ii.  274. 
Warfield,  Miss  Mary,  death  of,  ii. 

495. 
Wars  of  Lebanon.    (See  Druzes.) 
Washburn,  George,  i.  29. 
Webster,  Hon.  Daniel,  i.  304. 
Wellesley,  Hon.  H.  R.  (See  Cowley.) 
West,  Miss  Maria  A.,  ii.  220,  239, 

258,  276. 
West,  Miss  Sarah  E.,  ii.  29. 
Western  Station,  failure  of,  ii.  138. 
Wheeler,  Crosby  H.,  ii.  29,  54,  423, 

433,  463. 
Whiting,  George  B.,  ii.  398. 
Wives  of  missionaries,  tribute  to,  ii. 

72. 
Williams,  Lieut.  Col.,  noble  conduct 

of,  i.  359. 
Williams,  William  Frederic,  D.  D., 

ii.  75,  81, 101 ;  his  death  and  char- 
acter, 435. 
Williams,  Mrs.  Sarah  P.,  death  of, 

ii.  96. 
Williams,  Mrs.  Caroline  P.,  death 

of,  ii.  248. 


Williams,  Mrs.  Clarissa  C,  ii.  240, 
249. 

Williams,  Hon.  James,  American 
Ambassador,  his  friendly  agency, 
ii.  344. 

Wolff,  Joseph,  D.  D.,  mention  of, 
i.  16,  17. 

Women,  preaching  to,  i.  133. 

Wood,  George  W.,  D.  D.,  i.  129;  ii. 
21,  233,  459-462. 

Worcester,  Samuel,  D.  D.,  instruc- 
tions of  to  the  first  missionaries, 
i.  X. 

Worcester,  Isaac  R.,  acknowledg- 
ments to,  i.  10. 

Wortabet,  Gregory,  i.  45,224-226; 
his  death,  227. 

Wortabet,  John,  i.  377,  383;  his  or- 
dination, ii.  369. 

Wright,  Dr.  Austin  H.,  great  useful- 
ness of,  ii.  286;  his  death,  287. 

Yakob,  Agha,  i.  41;  death  of,  273. 
Year  of  persecution,  i.  114. 
Yezidees,  ii.  89. 

Young,  Rev.  Cuthbert  G.,  ii.  31. 
Youth,  a  remarkable,  i.  356. 

Zahleh,  destruction  of,  ii.  348. 

Zeitoon,  struggle  with  the  people  of, 
ii.  403 ;  a  deadly  assault  on  a  mis- 
sionary, 406 ;  the  rescue,  406 ;  the 
Gospel  gains  a  footing,  407. 


END  OF   VOLUME  II. 


Theological  Semmary-Speer 


1    1012  01089  0632 


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